Daniel Name Meaning

From the ancient Hebrew Daniyyel, Daniel means “God is my judge.” A prophet in the Bible with his own book in the Old Testament, Daniel is a deeply religious name whose use spans millennia.

Daniel has held firm in popularity throughout the years, standing tall alongside his Biblical brothers Michael and Matthew. Despite it all, he remains surprisingly fresh, never quite falling into the murky waters of dad name territory. He’s steadfast and strong, portraying strength and power while remaining friendly, thanks in part to his easy going nicknames Dan and Danny.

In the Bible, Daniel is thrown into a literal lions’ den for worshipping God instead of the king, surviving the ordeal thanks to the help of an angel. Despite being faced with certain death, Daniel holds true in his faith and is rewarded with life because of it. This story of strength in faith inspires many parents to hold the name dear and it’s often used as a middle name in the U.S. as well as a first name.

Daniel has a spunky variant in Danilo, a name used in several countries such as Portugal, Spain, and Croatia. Daniel also has several female variations including Dana, Daniella, and Daniela.

Infographic of Daniel name meaning, which is From the Hebrew Daniyyel, Daniel means God is my judge.
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Daniel Name Popularity

How popular is the name Daniel? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 54 658 0.1869%
1911 53 765 0.2054%
1912 53 1,500 0.2974%
1913 54 1,867 0.3293%
1914 55 2,312 0.3318%
1915 55 3,000 0.3302%
1916 55 3,139 0.325%
1917 54 3,357 0.3356%
1918 52 3,725 0.3471%
1919 51 3,517 0.3359%
1920 52 3,890 0.3499%
1921 49 4,083 0.3566%
1922 47 4,278 0.384%
1923 47 4,261 0.3804%
1924 47 4,391 0.3781%
1925 44 4,548 0.4024%
1926 46 4,504 0.4095%
1927 46 4,613 0.4167%
1928 47 4,433 0.4143%
1929 47 4,364 0.4213%
1930 47 4,462 0.4272%
1931 44 4,356 0.4413%
1932 42 4,445 0.4499%
1933 42 4,305 0.4621%
1934 42 4,493 0.4648%
1935 43 4,588 0.4721%
1936 41 4,811 0.4994%
1937 39 5,119 0.5195%
1938 39 5,578 0.5449%
1939 38 5,797 0.5699%
1940 34 6,216 0.5848%
1941 31 7,049 0.6263%
1942 28 8,506 0.6736%
1943 25 9,165 0.702%
1944 25 9,311 0.7513%
1945 24 9,704 0.7957%
1946 21 12,867 0.872%
1947 22 15,188 0.9099%
1948 22 16,508 1.0341%
1949 22 18,233 1.1334%
1950 21 19,193 1.192%
1951 21 21,125 1.2459%
1952 20 23,426 1.342%
1953 20 23,490 1.3273%
1954 18 25,263 1.382%
1955 17 26,442 1.4375%
1956 18 26,623 1.4096%
1957 16 27,305 1.419%
1958 16 25,612 1.3552%
1959 18 25,134 1.3229%
1960 17 25,962 1.3702%
1961 17 25,880 1.3708%
1962 17 25,546 1.3915%
1963 19 24,824 1.3829%
1964 19 24,353 1.3835%
1965 17 24,847 1.5194%
1966 19 23,270 1.4904%
1967 19 22,208 1.4634%
1968 18 22,018 1.4663%
1969 18 23,184 1.5049%
1970 19 23,528 1.4784%
1971 20 21,789 1.45%
1972 15 22,110 1.6233%
1973 11 23,697 1.8279%
1974 11 23,842 1.8344%
1975 11 23,823 1.8539%
1976 10 24,718 1.9179%
1977 11 26,076 1.9345%
1978 11 26,446 1.967%
1979 12 28,528 2.0232%
1980 11 29,895 2.0446%
1981 10 30,994 2.1085%
1982 10 32,653 2.1851%
1983 8 34,746 2.3546%
1984 6 36,525 2.4553%
1985 5 38,541 2.5392%
1986 6 36,571 2.4228%
1987 7 35,861 2.35%
1988 8 34,694 2.2263%
1989 6 34,998 2.1688%
1990 5 33,815 2.0402%
1991 6 30,919 1.8969%
1992 7 29,146 1.826%
1993 7 28,682 1.8397%
1994 8 28,059 1.8284%
1995 9 26,719 1.7728%
1996 11 25,111 1.6771%
1997 11 23,934 1.6182%
1998 12 23,153 1.5469%
1999 9 22,689 1.5151%
2000 9 22,312 1.4606%
2001 9 20,984 1.3927%
2002 10 21,315 1.4224%
2003 8 21,038 1.3829%
2004 7 20,979 1.3764%
2005 7 20,208 1.3217%
2006 6 20,059 1.2811%
2007 5 20,250 1.2835%
2008 5 19,001 1.2294%
2009 7 17,538 1.1734%
2010 8 15,836 1.0989%
2011 10 15,279 1.0724%
2012 11 14,271 1.0015%
2013 10 14,290 1.0037%
2014 10 13,931 0.9562%
2015 12 13,490 0.9271%
2016 13 12,921 0.8962%
2017 15 11,640 0.834%
2018 15 11,173 0.8132%
2019 15 10,504 0.7759%
2020 14 9,320 0.7322%
2021 16 9,066 0.7416%
2022 14 8,913 0.6756%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Daniel

If you like Daniel, you’ll love these other names like Daniel.


What names are diminutives of Daniel?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Daniel sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Daniel, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Dan

Judge; God is my judge

Hebrew

Dana

From Denmark

English

Dani

God is my judge

Hebrew

Dannie

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danny

God is my judge

Hebrew


What names are variants of Daniel?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Daniel.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Danal

God is my judge

Hebrew

Daneal

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danek

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danell

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danial

God is my judge

Hebrew

Daniele

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danil

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danilo

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danko

God is my judge

Hebrew

Dannel

God is my judge

Hebrew

Dantrell

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danya

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danyal

God is my judge

Hebrew

Danyel

God is my judge

Hebrew

Deiniol

God is my judge

Hebrew


What names sound like Daniel?

If you like how Daniel sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Daniel.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Danby

The Dane's village

Scandinavian

Dannon

Form of Danson

American

Danon

From Denmark, Dane

English

Dante

Enduring

Latin

Danton

French

Donnel

World mighty; brown-haired fighter

Scottish

Nathanael

God has given

Hebrew

Nathaneal

God has given

Hebrew

Nathaniel

God has given

Hebrew

Thaniel

God has given

Hebrew


What names are similar to Daniel?

Find a name that’s like Daniel, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Christopher

Bearing Christ

English

David

Beloved

Hebrew

Elijah

My God is Yahweh

Hebrew

Gabriel

God is my strength

Hebrew

Isaac

He will laugh

Hebrew

Joseph

Jehovah will increase

Hebrew

Luke

From Lucania

Greek

Matthew

Gift of God

Hebrew

Michael

Who is Like God?

Hebrew

Noah

To rest

Hebrew


Lists With Daniel

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Daniel.


Siblings of Daniel

Mamas with kids named Daniel also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Erick

Everlasting ruler

Scandinavian

Lucia

Of the light

Italian

Jose

Jehovah will increase

Spanish

Carlos

Free man

Spanish

Pablo

A Spanish equivalent of Paul.

Spanish

Andres

Manly

Spanish

Michael

Who is Like God?

Hebrew

Jessica

To see

English

Justin

Just and fair

English

Miley

Smiley

American

Robert

Bright fame

German

Leona

Lion

Latin

Tierra

Earth

Spanish

Zahir

Blossoming, flourishing

Arabic

Ben

Son

Hebrew

Cassi

Man's defender, warrior; pure

Greek

Ilana

Tree

Hebrew

Jeriah

Taught by God

Hebrew

Tabitha

Gazelle

Aramaic

David

Beloved

Hebrew

36 Comments

  1. My husband and I, were looking for a name that will sound similar in Polish (I’m from Poland), Albanian (my husband is from
    Albania) and in USA (we live here). Daniel was the perfect fit for our perfect baby boy ??

  2. Both my husband and I came independently to believe that God wanted us to name our first son Daniel. We love the name, and the meaning of God being your judge rather than man is such a strong meaning, especially in today’s world.

    • I love my name

  3. After having the difficulties during pregnancy that I did, and sitting through message after message in church about how Daniel found favor with God, Daniel was it. It suits him so well!

  4. Named after daddy.

  5. Named after his Daddy!

  6. Daniel was my husband’s father’s name. He passed away when my husband was little so he wanted to name our first son after him. ?

  7. Wanted my child to have a biblical name. Your baby names link helped us to make a choice.

  8. It’s a biblical name meaning that the lord is his judge. Have bothe classical and modern

  9. From family members that are no longer with us

  10. Oh iloveyoumum…hi my name is Daniel Jon Anthony king..my mum is ya Christan god an Jesus are all way her mind from that I can see on my brith certificate Daniel Jon Anthony king all names are from Bible.. got to love the Danieljonanthonyking.. John.3/16 for God loved the world so much he give he’s only begotten son so whoever believes with in him with all your heart shall never perish but have everlasting life AMEN ?? thank all Jesus Christ

  11. We have had the name Daniel on our name list since our first pregnancy, and we finally found it was the right time to use it. It seems when there is a name that you keep coming back to, or comparing other names to it usually means it’s the name that’s meant to be for your child.

  12. His very energetic

  13. His uncle’s from his dad side

  14. Daniel is a classic name that he can grow older with, and it won’t scream “you were definitely born in the 20’s!!”. I also wanted to go with something that wasn’t trendy and is easy to shorten. Danny or Dan are both great nicknames.

  15. Daniel is my husband’s middle name, and he was also named after his uncle. We also like the solid biblical foundation.

  16. We chose the name Daniel because it’s my husband’s family’s first boy so we named him after my father in-laws father.

  17. Named after his grandfathers (both named Daniel). Love the nickname Danny

  18. Got to get use to him. Am in love

  19. After my husband’s dad’s name, middle name is my dad’s name!

  20. We love the Bible character and the meaning “God is my Judge” behind the name, Daniel. We felt that it also gives a nod/direction to his life’s purpose.

  21. Daniel is my husband’s middle name and also a biblical name. We love that it is a biblical Christian name and that our son will have a strong and faithful historical figure to look up to.

  22. It is a family name.
    I had an older brother that past away that was named Daniel.

  23. I like this Biblical name. Your kid would
    love this name. If I’ll get a brother,
    I’ll name him… oh… Daniel. I such
    a nice name. Oh.. I knew it! A nice name!
    Bye!

  24. Daniel Allen Winkler Jr , He is his daddy’s twin he name after his dad.

  25. My husband and I chose this name because it is a classic name, which we wanted, and it is spelt the same and pronounced almost the same in English and Portuguese (my husband is Brazilian).

  26. Its a biblical name, meaning God is my strength. I like that the nicknames sounds good too . I make sure the name would sound right in all stages of his life.

    • The name Daniel suggests knowledge and strength together in one person.

  27. Daniel was in the bible but he is also a junior.

  28. He was named after his great uncle.

  29. We were adamant that baby 2 would need to be able to “thrive in adversity”. Daniel was a faithful follower of God even in slavery, faced with a fiery furnace, and the threat of death by lions. We wanted that kind of strength of character for our children. We named our first Serena for “peace” (due to repeated Holy Spirit impressions during pregnancy on John 14:27), we think that was more of a reassurance for me for the high spirited child we were having. Daniel is a very calm happy child so far. Serena was always a very determined intense child even from the beginning.

  30. Its a bible name and he got named after myhusbands favorite uncle.

  31. Daniel was chosen by his sister out of the Bible.

  32. My husband came home one night and said what about Daniel? And we both loved it.
    We love that it is a strong, traditional name that isn’t super common.
    We love the name and it fits our baby perfectly!

  33. Great biblical and historical name. Sweet and short.

  34. My name is Daniela so I figured if he/s going to have my husband’s last name it’s only fair he has my first names. 🙂
    Also, his middle name is Andres, which is the Spanish version of my husband’s middle name, Andrew.


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