Nathaniel C. Emerson (25 October 1874 – 25 October 1958) was a top-ranked American amateur tennis player in the early 20th century.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 25, 1874, to Henry Emerson Jr. & Eleanor Caldwell, he moved to Yakima, Washington by 1911, where he owned an apple orchard.

Later he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he died on October 25, 1958, his 84th birthday.

He was a singles semifinalist at the 1908 U.S. National Championship (now known as the U.S. Open), and a doubles finalist at the U.S. National Championship in 1906 & 1908 (both times with L. Harry Waidner).

They lost to future International Tennis Hall of Famers Fred Alexander and Harold Hackett in 1906, and Raymond D. Little and Beals Wright in 1908.