Which historical explorer is Nathan Drake said to descend from?

Nathan Drake is said to descend from Sir Francis Drake. In Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Nathan presents himself as a supposed descendant of the famous English explorer and privateer, using that family connection to frame his search for lost treasures.

Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe between 1577 and 1580 and became one of Elizabeth I’s most celebrated sea captains. He was knighted after returning to England aboard the Golden Hind. The historical Drake died in 1596 and had no known children, so Nathan’s claimed lineage is fictional rather than an established historical genealogy.

That uncertainty is part of Nathan’s characterization. He uses the Drake name and its legendary associations, but the series often treats his ancestry as a mystery or a claim rather than definitive proof. The first game’s premise ties the family story to the search for El Dorado.

Players sometimes confuse Sir Francis Drake with Marco Polo because Uncharted 2 follows Polo’s expedition, but Marco Polo is connected to that game’s plot, not Nathan’s supposed ancestry.