Daniel

Did you know?

A few things about Daniel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Daniel

Daniel Defoe

English trader, writer, and journalist (1660–1731)

Choose Daniel and your child shares a first name with Daniel Defoe, an English trader, writer, and journalist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Daniel, like who?” Daniel Defoe's Wikipedia article is available in 144 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Daniel Defoe on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: UnknownUnknown , style of Sir Godfrey Kneller, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 211 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Daniel, 8,085 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Daniel.
• 📜HistoryDaniel has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Daniels, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 2008, when it ranked #5. Today it's #22, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowDaniel was 2.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 88 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 211.
• 📍Where it's lovedDaniel is the #13 boy name in 2 states, including Virginia, Washington and Washington. It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, Daniel means “God is my judge”. Our records link it to French and Hebrew roots.
• 🌍OriginDaniel is the #3 most popular French boy name in the US. That's out of 1,896 French boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Daniel

Daniel is a boy name of French and Hebrew origin meaning “God is my judge”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with D and ending in “-iel”. US birth records list Daniel for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked #5 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #22, with 8,085 babies.

Origin:French namesHebrew names