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Daniel

Heart
Hebrew
"God is my judge"

Daniel Origin and Meaning

The name Daniel is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".

Daniel was derived from the Hebrew name Daniyyel, from the elements din, meaning "judge," and ’el, "God." The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament describes the Jewish prophet’s life of captivity in Babylon and visions of the last days of Earth. Dan and Danny are common short forms of Daniel.

Daniel is a perennial favorite; it's been in the Top 15 names for boys every year since 1972 and ranks first among all baby names starting with D. Daniel is one of only a handful of male names that sounds both classic and modern, strong yet approachable, and popular but not cliched. It also has a solid Old Testament pedigree. The only real downside: There are more than 10,000 Daniels named each year, making it a less than distinctive choice.

Daniel was popular in the days of Daniel Webster and Daniel Boone, and its appeal is international, from Ireland to Israel. It was the name of one of the greatest biblical heroes, with the inspiring story of the prophet whose faith protected him when he was thrown into a den of lions. Yet it does not seem as solemn and weighty as others like Abraham and Ezekiel. And its nicknames—Danny and Dan—make it sound even friendlier, though, as with other classics, many modern parents are opting to use the name in full.

Daniel was recently one of the top Spanish names for boys.

# 14 in the US

Daniel Rank in US Top 1000

# 114 on Nameberry

Daniel Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Daniel Popularity

20 Names Similar to Daniel

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Daniel.

Famous People Named Daniel

  • Danielson of King David and Abigail (1 Chr. 3:1)
  • DanielBiblical prophet
  • Danielchief of the sons of Ithamar (Ezra 8:2)
  • Daniel DefoeEnglish novelist
  • Daniel BooneAmerican pioneer
  • Daniel Parke Custisfirst husband of U.S. First Lady Martha Washington
  • Daniel Parke CustisJr., son of Daniel Custis and Martha Washington
  • Daniel WebsterAmerican politician
  • Daniel RugglesU.S. Confederate general
  • Daniel C. Roberts (18411907), hymnist
  • Daniel "Dan" Beardfounder of the Boy Scouts of America
  • Daniel Handler aka Lemony SnicketAmerican novelist
  • Daniel César Martín Brühl (González Domingo)German,Spanish actor
  • Daniel Bryan (born Bryan Lloyd Danielson)American professional wrestler
  • Daniel Leroy BaldwinAmerican actor
  • Daniel Lemkusvegan lifestyle youtuber from New Zealand
  • Daniel Dae Hyun KimKorean,American actor
  • Daniel Michael Blake DayLewis, English actor
  • Daniel Michael "Danny" DeVitoAmerican actor
  • Daniel Wroughton CraigEnglish actor
  • Daniel Jonathan "Dan" StevensEnglish actor
  • Daniel "Dan" DeCarloAmerican cartoonist
  • Daniel Constantine "Dan" MarinoAmerican football player
  • Daniel "Dani" PedrosaSpanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer
  • Daniel Patrick MoynihanAmerican politician
  • Daniel Erik SedinSwedish ice hockey player
  • Daniel Alan David "Danny" Jonesmusician of band McFly
  • Daniel Dwight ToshAmerican comedian
  • Daniel "Skip" Sahyouniemember of the Janoskians
  • Daniel Jacob RadcliffeEnglish actor
  • Daniel Joshua GilliesCanadian actor
  • Daniel PailleCanadian NHL Hockey player
  • Daniel SantosPuerto Rican boleros composer and singer of caribbean music
  • Daniel Andrew SharmanEnglish actor
  • Daniel Phillip HenneyKorean,American actor and model
  • Daniel Dewan Sewell aka Danny BrownAmerican rapper
  • Daniel William "Danny" Woodsinger of American group New Kids On The Block
  • Daniel Wayne Smithson of model/actress Anna Nicole Smith
  • Daniel "Danny" WayAmerican pro skateboarder
  • Daniel WoodsAmerican rock climber
  • Daniel Mark NestorCanadian tennis player
  • Daniel "Danny" Murillofrom group "Hollywood Undead"
  • Daniel "Dan" CarterNew Zealand rugby player
  • Daniel "Dan" Campbell Smithlead singer of band Bastille
  • Daniel LambertEnglish sportsman
  • Daniel Clement Dennett IIIAmerican philosopher
  • Daniel "Danny" Gonzalo PinoAmerican actor
  • Daniel Pearljournalist with American and Israeli citizenship, kidnapped by Pakistani militants and later murdered in Pakistan
  • Daniel Robert "Dan" Middleton aka DanTDMEnglish YouTuber
  • Daniel Anthony "Danger" Padilla aka SmoshAmerican YouTuber
  • Daniel GoodfellowBritish diver
  • Daniel Kyresketch comedian from YouTube
  • Daniel Wu Yincho, Chinese,American actor, director, and producer
  • Daniel James SeaveyAmerican pop singer
  • Daniel Coulter "Dan" ReynoldsAmerican musician of band Imagine Dragons
  • (Daniel) Wayne "Wing" SermonAmerican musician of band Imagine Dragons
  • Daniel James PlatzmanAmerican musician of band Imagine Dragons
  • Daniel StewartAustralian actor and son of Patrick Stewart
  • Daniel Neesonson of actors Liam Neeson and the late Natasha Richardson
  • Daniel Isaam Stapp (b. 2010)son of American singer Scott Stapp
  • Daniel James "Dan" HowellBritish video blogger and former radio personality
  • Daniel SalloiHungarian soccer player
  • Daniel Christopher PredaAmerican Instagram blogger
  • Daniel J. LaytonBritish YouTuber
  • Daniel AmarteyGhanaian footballer
  • Daniel PodencePortuguese professional footballer
  • Daniel WassDanish professional footballer
  • Daniel Joseph RicciardoAustralian Formula 1 driver
  • Daniel KangKorean singer of boy group Wanna One
  • Prince Daniel (born Olof Daniel Westling)Duke of Västergötland, husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
  • Daniel Charles Handley (b. 1985)9,year,old British boy who was abducted, sexually abused and strangled to death in 1994

Daniel in Pop Culture

  • Daniel LeBlanca supporting character and the father of one of the main protagonists, Marie,Laure LeBlanc in 'All The Light We Cannot See'
  • Daniel Jacksoncharacter in the film "Saving Private Ryan"
  • Daniel Desariocharacter on TV's "Freaks and Geeks"
  • Daniel Jacksoncharacter on "Stargate SG,1"
  • "Daniel Deronda" novel by George Eliot and its main character
  • Daniel Faradaycharacter on TV's 'Lost'
  • Daniel Plainviewmain character in movie "There Will Be Blood"
  • Danielmain character in game "Amnesia: The Dark Descent"
  • Daniel "Dan" Humphreycharacter on "Gossip Girl"
  • Daniel LaRussomain character of "The Karate Kid" franchise
  • DanielEmilio Estevez's character in "The Way"
  • Daniel "Danny" Fentoncharacter in Nickelodeon's "Danny Phantom"
  • J.Daniel Atlasfrom the movie "Now You See Me"
  • Daniel " Dan" Cahillcharacter from the "39 Clues" series
  • Daniel Slipperycharacter on "Fortysomething"
  • Daniel "Danny" Edward Morgancharacter on American soap "General Hospital"
  • Daniel Turpincharacter in DC Universe
  • Daniel "Danny" MaccabDee IIIfrom movie "Just Go With It"
  • Daniel "Danny" Messercharacter on "CSI: NY"
  • Daniel Altan Wing aka 'Day' hero of Marie Lu's Legend Trilogy.
  • Daniel "Danny" Zukocharacter in movie/musical "Grease"
  • Daniel "Danny" Torrancecharacter in book/movie "The Shining"
  • Daniel Grigoria main character in the "Fallen" series (Lauren Kate)
  • Daniel "Danny" Oceanmain character in movies "Ocean's Eleven," "Ocean's Twelve," and "Ocean's Thirteen"
  • Daniel Holdenmain character in the TV series, "Rectify"
  • Daniel Rodriguezcharacter in the "Sims" series
  • Daniel "Manly Dan" Corduroycharacter in "Gravity Falls"
  • Danielcharacter in video game 'Fallout New Vegas, Honest Hearts'
  • Daniel Semperemain character in the book "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, also featured in sequel "The Prisoner of Heaven"
  • Daniela character from "The Dead,Tossed Waves" by Carrie Ryan
  • Daniel "Dan" Espinozacharacter on the TV series "Lucifer"
  • Danielcharacter in Aphmau's YouTube series
  • Daniel/Danilacharacter in webcomic "Drugs and Wires"
  • "Daniel" song by Elton John
  • "Daniel" song by Bat for Lashes
  • "Daniel" song by Devendra Bernhart
  • Daniel "Dan" Connermain character in TV sitcom "Roseanne"
  • Daniel Ramos "Denver"one of the main characters in series “Money Heist”
  • Daniel Haywardcharacter from Netflix's "Greenhouse Academy"
  • Danielcharacter from Canadian TV Show "The Next Step"
  • "Daniel" by Elton John
  • Daniel from Damn Daniel!known to wear white vans
  • Daniel " Danny " Ketch aka the third Ghost Rider in Marvel Comics
  • Danielcharacter in the Rooster Teeth animated series "Camp Camp"