Daniel: Name Meaning, Origin, History, and Popularity

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In This Article

Origin, Meaning, And History Of Daniel

Daniel comes from Hebrew origin and is derived from ‘Daniyyel,’ a Hebrew name that means ‘God is my judge.’ In the Old Testament of the Bible, the Book of Daniel mentions him as the Hebrew prophet who served the king and was known for his ability to interpret dreams and have apocalyptic visions. Daniel is also mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel of the Bible as someone praised for his virtue and wisdom. Hence, the name is associated with solid biblical figures, addressing a significant masculine being.

Another interesting fact is that in Judaism, ‘El’ at the end of the name is one of the names of God. Thus, Daniel carries the power of authority.

Owing to its reference to well-known biblical characters, the name started to be widely used among the Christian community. Much of its popularity may be credited to Daniel’s strong faith in the Bible when faced with pressure and persecution. Moreover, its namesake being the 2nd century Christian Martyr and 9th century hermit, the lives of which are popular among Christians, made Daniel a household name in the Middle Ages. Although the name started to lose its edge by the 15th century, the Protestant Reformation became its revival.

The name has several variations that differ by country and people. Some examples include Danilo (Spanish), Danilo (Portuguese), Danail (Bulgarian), Danijel (Croatian), and Danijel (Slovene). You may also explore some cool nicknames such as Dan, Dannie, Danny, and Dancho.

It is amazing how well the name has kept up with the pace of the entertainment industry and fiction in every generation. For example, in the 1984 movie ‘The Karate Kid,’ Daniel LaRusso was the protagonist. The American romantic drama ‘Ugly Betty’ has the name Daniel Meade. In the movie ‘A Few Good Men,’ the protagonist is described as Lieutenant Daniel Alistair Kaffee, which Tom Cruise plays. And the fictional TV series Fear the Walking Dead has Daniel Salazar as the main character and a survivor.

Hence, you can see the gravity of the name Daniel and its popularity among people that has surpassed generations.

Daniel

Meaning God is my judge

Gender Boy

Religion Christianity

Origin Hebrew

Lucky Number 9

Syllables Two

Length 1 word, 6 letters, 3 vowels, 3 consonants

Type Medium length and easy to pronounce

How To Pronounce Daniel?

Pronounced as da-nee-el

The way you pronounce a name can make all the difference.

Listen to the sound of the name Daniel in English.

Famous People With The Name Daniel

Daniel Day-LewisBritish actor who won Oscars as Best actor for the movies My Left Foot, Lincoln, and There Will Be Blood
Daniel KaluuyaBritish actor, best known for his spine-chilling performance in the movie Get Out, who won the Oscar for best supporting actor for the movie Judas and the Black Messiah
Daniel CraigEnglish actor most popular for his role as James Bond and was nominated for a BAFTA for his first role as Bond
Daniel DennettAmerican philosopher and writer who won the Jean Nicod Prize in 2001 and Erasmus Prize in 2012
Daniel RadcliffeBritish actor, internationally appreciated for his role as Harry Potter in the Harry Potter franchise

Daniel On The Popularity Chart

Daniel has been an overly populated name since the 1980s. You can see the details of its popularity and ranking over the years in the given charts below.

Popularity Over Time

During the long period of 1980 to late 2007, the name remained highly popular among the parents to name their baby boys. Check out the graph below to understand how well it did on the popularity chart.

Source: Social Security Administration

Rank Over Time

Daniel ranked the highest in 1983 at 12,078 but started to decline since then. Have a look at the chart to see more details.

Source: Social Security Administration

Daniel On MomJunction Popularity Chart

Know how popular the name Daniel is among the MomJunction readers. We used a unique approach to gather relevant insights for creating this popularity chart by observing the interactions and interest around the name on our platform. See what the trend has been among our readers over these past years.

Names With Similar Sound As Daniel

If you liked the ring of the name Daniel and want something with a similar sound, have a look at the listed names.

Popular Sibling Names For Daniel

If you are looking for some matching sibling names that resonate with Daniel, check our suggestions here.

Boy Sibling Names For Daniel

Find matching brother names for Daniel and create a wonderful team of siblings.

Girl Sibling Names For Daniel

Looking for some suitable sister names for Daniel? Check out our collection of beautiful and unique names.

Other Popular Names Beginning With D

Looking for more baby names starting with the letter D to resonate with your family’s naming tradition or to rhyme with the sibling names? Find a range of alternative names starting with this letter.

Dad

Dan

Names With Similar Meaning As Daniel

If you are searching for names that may appeal to your choices for having the same meaning as Daniel, the following suggestions may be helpful to you.

Popular Songs On The Name Daniel

Song	Artist
Daniel	Elton John
Daniel	Bat For Lashes
Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon)	Justin Bieber

Acrostic Poem On Daniel

Dive into the lyrical charm of the name Daniel with this acrostic poem. Witness how each letter paints together a story, capturing the name’s individuality, strength, vitality, and sophistication. Inspiring, is it? Why not try a similar poem that describes what you think of your baby’s personality?

Dynamic flair, resonating with delight and divinity.

Adventurous and echoing the spirit of exploration.

Nurturing soul, nourished by the nectar of nature.

In the quiet of the night, you are a burst of starlight.

Eager to learn and expand your vision.

Lively spirit bursting with vivacity and zest for life.

Daniel’s Zodiac Sign And Birth Star As Per Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology, also called Jyotisha, provides deep insights into a person’s life based on celestial positions at birth. Rashi and nakshatra, which are an integral part of Jyotisha, are believed to influence an individual’s personality and life events. The following sections give you rashi-related information, such as the associated letters, elements, ruling body, quality, and nakshatra for the name daniel. These details help analyze a person’s characteristics, personality, and behavior.

Zodiac Sign (Rashi)

As shown in the following table, each rashi is associated with specific sounds, which are often used as the starting letters of names for newborns in Hindu families. Each rashi is represented by a figure and one of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether (Space). One ruling celestial body, known as its 'rashi lord' or 'ruler' is assigned to these rashis. These bodies include Venus, Mars, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Furthermore, the rashis are assigned various qualities or gunas.

Rashi (zodiac sign)	Meena (Pisces)
Starting letters for Meena (Pisces) rashi	D, CH, Z, TH
Representation	Fishes
Element	Water
Ruling body	Jupiter
Quality	Dual

Birth Star (Nakshatra)

Another important aspect of Vedic Astrology is the nakshatras, the lunar constellations or star clusters that the Moon occupies during a person's birth. There are 27 nakshatras, each with its own unique qualities, attributes, and symbolism. Each rashi contains two-and-one-fourth nakshatras in it. For example, Aries contains Ashwini, Bharani, and Krithika nakshatras.

The below table provides information on the nakshatras’ degrees on the zodiac circle, their lords and related syllables, for babies born in the Meena (Pisces) rashi. These syllables/phonetics are popularly used to choose the baby name. For precise nakshatra calculation based on your baby's birthplace and date, use our Nakshatra Calculator.

Nakshatra	Degrees Of The Nakshatra	Nakshatra Lord (Ruler)	Name Syllables
Poorvabhadrapada (Purvabhadra, Pururuttathy)	Pisces (0 to 3.20 degrees)	Jupiter	Se, So, Dha, Dhi, Di, Da, Daa, Dee
Uttarabhadrapada (Uthrittathy)	Pisces (3.20 to 16.40 degrees)	Saturn	Du, Tha, Jha, Na, Gna, Jna, Da, Gy
Revathi	Pisces (16.40 to 30 degrees)	Mercury	De, Do, Cha, Chaa, Chi, Chee

Infographic: Know The Name Daniel‘s Personality As Per Numerology

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Daniel In Different Languages

It’s exciting to see our baby’s name spelled and written in various languages. See how people spell Daniel in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more! Each language has its own way of saying Daniel, but it’s still the same special name. Learn how the name looks and sounds in different languages around the world!

Name	Language	Code
Daniel	English	en
丹尼尔	Chinese	zh-CN
डैनियल	Hindi	hi
Daniel	Spanish	es
Daniel	French	fr
دانيال	Arabic	ar
ড্যানিয়েল	Bengali	bn
Daniel	Portuguese	pt
Дэниел	Russian	ru
ڈینیئل	Urdu	ur
Daniel	Indonesian	id
Daniel	German	de
ダニエル	Japanese	ja
डैनियल	Marathi	mr
డేనియల్	Telugu	te
Daniel	Turkish	tr
டேனியல்	Tamil	ta
Daniel	Vietnamese	vi
Daniel	Tagalog	tl
다니엘	Korean	ko
Daniel	Hausa	ha
Daniel	Swahili	sw
Daniel	Javanese	jv
Daniel	Italian	it
ਡੈਨੀਅਲ	Punjabi	pa
ડેનિયલ	Gujarati	gu
แดเนียล	Thai	th
ಡೇನಿಯಲ್	Kannada	kn
ዳንኤል	Amharic	am
डैनियल	Bhojpuri	bho
Daniel	Yoruba	yo

How To Communicate The Name Daniel In Sign Languages

In Nautical Flags

daniel

In Sign Language

daniel

In Braille Alphabet

daniel

In Morse Code

daniel

Name Numerology For Daniel

Numerology is an occult system that gives significance to numbers and their influence on human life and destiny. Numerologists attribute specific qualities, energies, and characteristics to a number. Parents who believe in numerology prefer to choose baby names that resonate positively with the child’s unique numerical vibrations, often derived from their date of birth. Here we give a general birth number and personality traits of the name Daniel, based on the Pythagorean (Western) system. This analysis will differ from child to child based on their date of birth. You may use our numerology calculator for more personalized information.

Baby Name Lists Containing Daniel

Read through our baby name lists that include the name Daniel and several other similar names. The wider the choice, the better your selection. Isn't it?

Movie Titles Inspired By The Name Daniel

Discover the presence of Daniel in an array of films. Know about the various movies that have this name.

Movie title	Other titles	Release year
Daniel Richter		2023
Daniel Auerbach		2023
Daniel Pennac: Ho visto Maradona!		2022
Daniel & Daniela	Daniel e Daniela	2022
Simon Daniel		2022
Daniel Rye - Livet efter Syrien		2020
Letters to Daniel		2020
Daniel '16	Ντάνιελ '16, Даниэль 16	2020

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the meaning of the name Daniel?

The name Daniel means ‘God is my judge.’

2. What is the origin of the name Daniel?

Daniel has a Hebrew origin.

3. How to pronounce the name Daniel?

Daniel is pronounced as da-nee-el.

4. What is a good middle name for Daniel?

Daniel is a Biblical name meaning ‘God is my judge.’ Following this route, these suggested middle names are also masculine names taken from the Bible. They include Phillip, Benjamin, Timothy, Gabriel, and Uriel.

5. How rare or common is the name Daniel in the US?

According to the data provided by the SSA, the name Daniel has been a popular choice in the US for over a century (1). In 2022, 9047 babies were given the name Daniel and it stood at rank 14. The name has not dropped from the Top 100 baby names in the US since 1900.

6. Is Daniel an angel’s name?

The masculine name Daniel is mentioned in the Book of Enoch, which is a Hebrew Apocalyptic text. Daniel is also spelled as Dânêl, and he is the seventh mentioned angel out of the 200 angels.

7. Is Daniel a medieval name?

Daniel can be considered an ancient name because of its long use in history. The first recorded use of the name Daniel was in the Bible, which is one of the oldest books in the world.

8. Is Daniel a unisex name?

The name Daniel has been widely used all over the world as a masculine name. The name also has feminine forms like Danielle, Daniela, Dany, Danijela, and Dana.

9. What are some notable historical figures named Daniel?

The most famous bearer of the name is Daniel, a prophet from the Bible. He is the main character in the Book of Daniel in the Bible. It is considered to be a canon of sacred writings. Daniel was also known for his wisdom in interpreting dreams.

References:

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

Popularity of a Name Daniel.
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

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