Daniel is a
masculine given name and a
surname of
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
origin. It means "God is my judge"
[Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf.
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...
—"God is my strength"), and derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them
Daniel
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
from the Book of Daniel. It is a common given name for males, and is also used as a surname. It is also the basis for various derived given names and surnames.
Background
The name evolved into over 100 different spellings in countries around the world. Nicknames (Dan (disambiguation), Dan, Danny) are common in both English language, English and
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
; "Dan" may also be a complete given name rather than a nickname. The name "Daniil" (Даниил) is common in Russia. Grammatical gender#Personal names, Feminine versions (Danielle, Daniele, Danièle, Daniela, Daniella, Dani, Danitza) are prevalent as well. It has been particularly well-used in Ireland. The Dutch names "Daan" and "Daniël" are also variations of Daniel. A related surname developed as a patronymic, Daniels (surname), Daniels. Other surnames derived from "Daniel" include McDaniel and Danielson.
Popularity
In the United States, the U.S. Social Security Administration reports that Daniel has peaked as the fifth most popular name for newborns in 1985, 1990, 2007, and 2008. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the 2000 census, "Daniels" was the 182nd most common surname in the U.S., while "McDaniel" was ranked at 323, and "Daniel" (without a final "s") was ranked at 380. In 2016, Top 100 Baby Names in Canada ranked it at number 27.
Top 100 Baby Names in Canada
People named Daniel
*List of people named Daniel
*List of people surnamed Daniel
See also
*Danel
References
{{given name
Theophoric names
Hebrew-language names
English-language masculine given names
English masculine given names
French masculine given names
Romanian masculine given names
Bulgarian masculine given names
Jewish given names
Czech masculine given names
Danish masculine given names
Swedish masculine given names
German masculine given names
Slovene masculine given names
Slovak masculine given names
Polish masculine given names
Norwegian masculine given names
Spanish masculine given names
Portuguese masculine given names
Russian masculine given names
Scandinavian masculine given names
Modern names of Hebrew origin