Daniel Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Boy Names Like Daniel

Daniel Name Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: dan-yuhl
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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.

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
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
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
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
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
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
Renee	Reborn	French

Share Your Thoughts

40 Comments

Yehudis Aug 28 at 1:30 pm

We named our son Daniel Peter after his grandfather. Both are Jewish names. Daniel (from the Prophets) was a loving leader of the Jewish people and Peter was a safe who co-authored a commentary on the Talmud. We hope to raise our son to love the Torah, teach others, and love people and treat them kindly.

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Belinha Aug 26 at 1:28 am

Eu queria dar ao meu filho um nome em ingl?s. Isso ? perfeito.

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Rianda Aug 15 at 8:59 am

It is my father’s second name and my first baby doll I had which is funny.

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Cassandra Aug 11 at 5:30 pm

It is a family name. I love how the name has multiple nicknames. Danny Dan etc..

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Agnieszka Feb 29 at 1:37 pm

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 ??

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Rebekah Oct 16 at 2:34 pm

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.

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- Daniel Jan 1 at 5:05 pm
  
  I love my name
  
  Reply
Holly Oct 11 at 11:12 am

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!

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Katelyn Oct 10 at 1:10 pm

Named after daddy.

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Donna May 23 at 1:34 pm

Named after his Daddy!

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Amey Apr 3 at 2:19 pm

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. ?

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Danica+Valida+Cabral Mar 13 at 9:46 pm

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

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ZAHIR Feb 17 at 9:06 am

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

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Susan Oct 17 at 10:29 am

From family members that are no longer with us

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Daniel Jon Anthony king Oct 13 at 3:14 am

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

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Carla Sep 25 at 9:21 pm

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.

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Juliet Sep 12 at 10:30 am

His very energetic

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Susan Aug 29 at 1:37 am

His uncle’s from his dad side

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Andrea Aug 3 at 8:39 am

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.

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Maggie Murphy Jun 27 at 3:54 pm

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

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Humencia Jun 22 at 9:50 pm

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.

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Julia May 10 at 9:36 am

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

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Shannon Dec 21 at 1:29 pm

Got to get use to him. Am in love

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Katelyn Lundberg Aug 3 at 1:13 pm

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

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Havilah Jun 28 at 8:47 am

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.

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Claire Dec 5 at 10:03 am

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.

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Claire Nov 15 at 10:21 pm

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

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ilovemymomi! Nov 15 at 4:59 pm

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!

Reply
Cassandra Winkler Aug 22 at 2:14 am

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

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Emily Dec 26 at 5:35 pm

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).

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Lorna Nov 15 at 11:53 am

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.

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- Edwin Mar 13 at 8:48 pm
  
  The name Daniel suggests knowledge and strength together in one person.
  
  Reply
Luckie Nov 9 at 12:14 pm

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

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Regina Nov 5 at 11:33 am

He was named after his great uncle.

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Kathy Aug 31 at 10:31 pm

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.

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Regina Aug 24 at 5:10 am

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

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Micheal Noble Aug 17 at 4:54 pm

Daniel was chosen by his sister out of the Bible.

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Kathleen Jul 27 at 7:52 pm

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!

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Aline Ramirez Jun 4 at 1:48 pm

Great biblical and historical name. Sweet and short.

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Daniela Apr 14 at 9:42 pm

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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