Daniel
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Meaning
"God is my judge," from Daniyyel, the dream-reading prophet who walked out of the lions' den; a steady classic in English since the Middle Ages and a cornerstone name across Spanish, Hebrew, and Slavic worlds alike. Dan and Danny come standard
Goes by Dan, Dani, Danny. See all nicknames
Famously borne by Daniel Ek, co-founder of Spotify. Famously borne by Daniel Stern, the man's name Marie d'Agoult used for her history of the 1848 revolution.
The story
Daniel comes from the Hebrew Daniyyel, God is my judge, borne by the prophet who interpreted dreams for kings in Babylon and walked out of the lions' den unharmed. That story carried the name across every Jewish and Christian community in Europe, and it has been a steady presence in English since the Middle Ages, equally at home in Spanish, Hebrew, and the Slavic languages. Its American record is a slow, patient climb: modest but never absent in the early twentieth century, building decade over decade through the postwar years, and peaking around the 2000s before easing only slightly. There is no single celebrity spark to point to, just generations of parents reaching for a name that sounds serious without being stiff. Dan and Danny come standard with the full version, and both wear well at any age.
Daniel's name family
One shared root links 8 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Daniyyel "God is my judge", the dream-reading prophet
The family
More branches
Daniel in song
Daniel
Elton John (1973)
Bernie Taupin's lyric about a war veteran leaving for Spain, sung so gently that most listeners hear only the tenderness of a brother watching a plane go.
On record since at least the 17th century: Daniel Defoe, English writer.
How popular is Daniel around the world?
In the United States, 52,805 babies were named Daniel between 2020 and 2025. In Mexico City, there were 896 registrations of Daniel in 2022.
Daniel is on the official records of the United States, Mexico City, Spain, Ireland, Brazil, Norway, Argentina, Chile, Poland, Puerto Rico, Austria, Scotland, Canada, South Australia, England and Wales, New Zealand, Montevideo, New South Wales and France.
Daniel crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record, of a Spanish-speaking one and of Brazil’s 2022 census, which counts people of every age. The full lists: English and Spanish · English and Portuguese · Spanish and Portuguese
United States
1 in 410
In the United States, 52,805 babies were named Daniel between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Daniel peaked in the 1990s and the 2000s in nearly equal measure. Daniel went to 13,563 US babies in 2015 and 8,093 in 2025, 60% of the earlier figure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Mexico City City
1 in 130
In Mexico City, there were 896 registrations of Daniel in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (28 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Spain
1 in 140
In Spain, 310,188 residents are named Daniel, the 6th most common name among men, with a mean age of 31.5 years.
In Spain, Daniel was the 11th most common name among boys born in 2024.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Ireland
1 in 240
In Ireland, 225 boys named Daniel were born in 2025, the 13th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Brazil
1 in 260
At the 2022 census, 770,743 people in Brazil were named Daniel, the 17th most common name, with a median age of 25.
Among people named Daniel living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 34,551 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Norway
1 in 280register 2026
In Norway, 100 boys were given the name Daniel in 2025.
share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
Argentina
1 in 310
In Argentina, 2,119 newborns were given the name Daniel in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Chile
1 in 350
In Chile, 507 boys were registered as Daniel in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Poland
1 in 440
In Poland, 554 boys named Daniel were born in 2025, the 50th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Daniel, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Puerto Rico
1 in 510
In Puerto Rico, 35 babies were named Daniel in 2025, and 3,246 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Austria
1 in 520
In Austria, 146 boys named Daniel were born in 2025, the 54th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Scotland
1 in 530
In Scotland, 86 boys named Daniel were registered in 2024, the 52nd most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Canada
1 in 540
In Canada, 683 boys named Daniel were born in 2024, the 28th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
South Australia
1 in 5702017
In South Australia, 32 boys were registered as Daniel in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 730
In England and Wales, 804 boys named Daniel were born in 2025, the 62nd most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
New Zealand
1 in 980
In New Zealand, 59 boys named Daniel were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Montevideo City
1 in 1,2002011
In Montevideo, 20 boys named Daniel were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
New South Wales
#64 · 2025
In New South Wales, 126 boys named Daniel were registered in 2025, ranked 64th in that year’s top 100 for boys.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
France
1 in 1,700
In France, about 385 boys named Daniel were born in 2025, the 156th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
When you meet Daniel
Most people given the name Daniel in the United States were born between 1960 and 2009. The Daniel you meet today is most often in his 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Daniel travels
Mexican American · a steady, strong classic across generations
Jewish American · a beloved biblical classic
Korean American · God is my judge (one of the most common Korean American church names for boys)
Chinese American · a steady, dignified favorite across every generation of Chinese American families
Global crossover · a top-10 name in the UK and Ireland for years and a steady favorite across the US and much of the world
Keep exploring
Names like Daniel · Names that go with Daniel · Nicknames for Daniel · Middle names for Daniel · Global crossover names · Jewish American baby names · Korean American baby names · Hebrew baby names · Chinese American baby names · Mexican American baby names · Climbers and fallers
The Daniel deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Daniel truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Daniel fits with your family’s names and surname.
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