It Was My Fate To Be Nate

My name is Nathan.  When I was born my mother wanted to name me Oliver and my father wanted to name me Shaun.  My dad wanted no part of naming me Oliver.  He thought the name wasn't tough enough sounding.  My mom had serious issues with the name Shaun.  She felt being named Shaun Sullivan would be a little too Irish sounding, a little too over the top.  How they settled on Nathan, I will never know because they aren't quite sure themselves.

My nickname is Nate.  Although in high school I was Nater.  Today, some of my mountain bike friends call me "Nate Dogg" or just "Dogg" for short.

I don't particularly like the sound of my full name.  Nathan sounds too formal, too serious.  My mom calls me "Nathan" when she is mad at me.  I definitely like how "Nate" sounds much better.  I think it sounds sort of chill and that's the way I am: chill, flexible, relaxed.

My name started out as the ancient Hebrew name Natan.  Currently, my name is the 38th most popular name in the United States.  It is the most popular name in France and the 13th most popular name in Canada.

One famous person named Nate is Nate Dogg.  He was a pretty chill guy, so I feel like it makes sense that he is a Nate.

Another famous "Nate" is "Nate the Great".  He isn't a real person, but a fictional character from a books series I used to read as a kid.  He was a pretty smart guy, so I feel like he deserves my name.