Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Daniel

Say it DAN-yul 2 syllables

Hebrew · “God is my judge”

Common across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 23 more places. Rare in France, Quebec, Slovenia, and 1 more place.

1 in 105 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 13 there.

Daniel in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 28, rare in 4.
Daniel in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales62 (down)20258041 in 338502020
Scotland43 (down)2025991 in 198272020
Northern Ireland34 (down)2025531 in 156142020
Ireland13 (down)20252251 in 10542020
North America
Ontario (province)19 (up)2024330about 1 in 181202019
Quebec (province)102 (down)202571about 1 in 409822020
British Columbia (province)39 (down)202361about 1 in 213272018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)64 (down)2025126472020
Victoria (state)78 (down)202595492020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025732020
South Australia (state)89 (down)202522682020
New Zealand65 (down)202559412020
Western Europe
France152 (up)20253851 in 7861662020
Netherlands (as Daniël)85 (down)2025295about 1 in 226672020
Central Europe
Austria54 (down)20251461 in 261422020
Switzerland59 (up)20251031 in 350622020
Berlin (city)34 (up)202375about 1 in 207462018
Munich (city)57 (down)202521about 1 in 208502020
Cologne (city)87 (down)202315about 1 in 425502018
Bonn (city)72 (down)20258about 1 in 396412020
Leipzig (city)170 (down)20253about 1 in 959802020
Rostock (city)69 (up)20253about 1 in 3491052020
Nordic countries
Norway66 (down)20251001 in 233412020
Sweden97 (up)2025113about 1 in 3821022020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
Finland282025127No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
Spain11 (down)20241,94562019
Catalonia (region)34 (down)20251141 in 182232020
Italy58 (down)20246671 in 284452019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland50 (up)20255541 in 228582020
Hungary (as Dániel)14 (down)202562562020
Slovenia249 (down)20255about 1 in 1,4482152020
Estonia18 (new in the list)202542Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as דניאל)18 (down)2024888about 1 in 96152019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

The prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel gave Daniel its fame. It comes from the Hebrew daniyél, 'God is my judge', and reached English through Greek.

2 more paragraphs

With two syllables, DAN-yul, it is familiar in almost every European language. Dan and Danny are the natural short forms, and spellings such as Daniël, Daníel and Dániel show how widely it has travelled. Other forms include Daniele, Daan and Danylo.

Daniel still ranks well in Spain, Hungary, Estonia and Ireland, and it holds a place in Ontario and Northern Ireland. Its great era was earlier, though: French records show a peak in the 1940s, and it is falling in most of the places that list it. It remains a steady classic rather than a rising name.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
DAN-yul · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“God is my judge”
Origin
Hebrew
Spellings counted
Counted together with Daniel here: Daniël, Daníel, Dániel.
Related names
Dan, Daniele, Danylo, Daan, Danny, Daniil, Dana, Danis, Danel, Dany, Danjell, Daniell, Danilo, Daňo, Dano, Danyel, Taneli, Danial
Where Daniel comes from (Wiktionary)

From Middle English Daniel, Daniell, from Ancient Greek Δᾱνῑήλ (Dānīḗl), from Hebrew דָּנִיֵּאל (daniyél, literally “God is my judge”), name borne by the prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Daniel. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Daniel over time

Rising in 2 of the 30 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 16. Peak in France: 1946.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Daniel in England and Wales: #2 in 1996, and #62 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #2, 10,338 boys1997: #4, 9,047 boys1998: #4, 7,732 boys1999: #5, 6,935 boys2000: #5, 6,229 boys2001: #5, 5,759 boys2002: #5, 5,565 boys2003: #5, 5,794 boys2004: #5, 5,730 boys2005: #6, 5,270 boys2006: #8, 4,844 boys2007: #6, 5,205 boys2008: #8, 5,191 boys2009: #10, 4,444 boys2010: #11, 4,330 boys2011: #14, 3,928 boys2012: #16, 3,404 boys2013: #22, 3,095 boys2014: #24, 2,775 boys2015: #24, 2,622 boys2016: #28, 2,290 boys2017: #32, 1,942 boys2018: #37, 1,676 boys2019: #40, 1,545 boys2020: #50, 1,203 boys2021: #54, 1,150 boys2022: #53, 1,080 boys2023: #60, 900 boys2024: #59, 877 boys2025: #62, 804 boyspeak #2, 1996#62in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996210,338
199749,047
199847,732
199956,935
200056,229
200155,759
200255,565
200355,794
200455,730
200565,270
200684,844
200765,205
200885,191
2009104,444
2010114,330
2011143,928
2012163,404
2013223,095
2014242,775
2015242,622
2016282,290
2017321,942
2018371,676
2019401,545
2020501,203
2021541,150
2022531,080
202360900
202459877
202562804

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Daniel in France since 1925 were born in or after 1950. Peak: 1946, about 4,698 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 643.4 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 979.6 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 1,853.1 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 3,555 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 4,497.1 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 3,547.9 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 2,440 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 1,573 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 949.1 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 517 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 332.1 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 234.6 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 161.5 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 118.8 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 102.5 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 91.8 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 82.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 98.6 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 118 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 120.9 per 100,000 boys20202025: 127.2 per 100,000 boys20251945-1949: about 1 in 22 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–1929643.4
1930–1934979.6
1935–19391,853.1
1940–19443,555
1945–19494,497.1
1950–19543,547.9
1955–19592,440
1960–19641,573
1965–1969949.1
1970–1974517
1975–1979332.1
1980–1984234.6
1985–1989161.5
1990–1994118.8
1995–1999102.5
2000–200491.8
2005–200982.8
2010–201498.6
2015–2019118
2020–2024120.9
2025127.2

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Daniel

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Daniel, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  2. 1 in 145, Ireland

  3. 1 in 207, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 137, Scotland

  5. 1 in 208, Ireland

  6. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 622, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 196, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 264, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 487, Northern Ireland

All 40 brother names for Daniel

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Daniel's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Daniel Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials D.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Daniel

Sisters for Daniel: Maria, Elizabeth, Eva, and 5 more
  1. MariaRose and fell with Daniel · As common as Daniel
  2. ElizabethRose and fell with Daniel · Hebrew, like Daniel
  3. EvaRose and fell with Daniel · As common as Daniel
  4. NicoleRose and fell with Daniel · Same generation as Daniel
  5. SaraRose and fell with Daniel · Hebrew, like Daniel
  6. MiriamRose and fell with Daniel · Hebrew, like Daniel
  7. SophieRose and fell with Daniel · As common as Daniel
  8. IsabelleRose and fell with Daniel

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Daniel

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Daniel's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 25 more places.

  2. Common in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 22 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 13 more places.

  4. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 15 more places.

  5. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 19 more places.

  6. Common across the UK, three Canadian provinces, Israel, and 7 more places.

  7. Common across the UK, the Netherlands, three Nordic countries, and 17 more places.

  8. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

Famous people named Daniel

Daniel Defoe, Daniel Radcliffe, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Daniel

How popular is Daniel in Ireland?

Daniel ranked #13 in Ireland in 2025, given to 225 boys, about 1 in 105.

Is Daniel rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 2 of the 30 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 16. Rising in: Rostock and Poland.

What does Daniel mean?

Daniel means “God is my judge”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Daniel have?

Daniel has 2 syllables: DAN-yul.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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