Daniel
Daniel is a boys' name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is my judge.” It ranked #12 in the United States in 2025. From the Hebrew Daniyyel meaning God is my judge.
how do you pronounce Daniel?
DAN-yel
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Daniel mean?
The name Daniel means “God is my judge.” It comes from the Hebrew language tradition.
From the Hebrew Daniyyel meaning God is my judge. The biblical prophet Daniel survived the lion's den and interpreted royal dreams, making this one of the most enduring names across cultures.
where does the name Daniel come from?
From the Hebrew דָּנִיֵּאל, joining din, meaning to judge, with El, meaning God — God is my judge. Like many Hebrew theophoric names it makes a claim rather than describing the bearer, and the claim here is one of appeal to a higher court.
the history of Daniel
The book of Daniel supplies two of the most enduring images in Western art, the lions' den and the writing on the wall, and gave English the phrase a Daniel come to judgement by way of The Merchant of Venice. The name has been in steady English-speaking use since the Reformation and spent much of the later twentieth century inside the American top twenty.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #12 |
| 2023 | #13 |
| 2022 | #13 |
| 2021 | #14 |
| 2020 | #15 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Daniel?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Daniel?
- Daniel Craig
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Daniel Day-Lewis
what names are similar to Daniel?
what names go well with Daniel?
Sibling names that share Daniel's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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