Daniel
Hebrew Daniyyel, God is my judge. The biblical book named for him describes his captivity in Babylon and his night in the lions' den.
Daniel in 2025
Daniel was given to 8,093 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 32nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 410 babies born.
The history of Daniel
Daniel reached its highest point in 1985, when 38,853 babies were given the name, ranking 9th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 5th, in 2007.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 1,991,091 babies have been named Daniel. Half of them were born before 1980, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Daniel by decade
| Decade | Babies named Daniel | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,679 | 61 |
| 1890s | 5,185 | 123 |
| 1900s | 5,048 | 153 |
| 1910s | 24,066 | 122 |
| 1920s | 43,664 | 102 |
| 1930s | 48,205 | 76 |
| 1940s | 113,115 | 37 |
| 1950s | 244,223 | 26 |
| 1960s | 242,889 | 22 |
| 1970s | 246,007 | 13 |
| 1980s | 348,066 | 9 |
| 1990s | 273,481 | 8 |
| 2000s | 204,483 | 5 |
| 2010s | 134,175 | 12 |
| 2020s | 52,805 | 23 |
Where Daniel is heading
Daniel has fallen 40% over the past decade, from 13,563 babies in 2015 to 8,093 in 2025.
Names like Daniel
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Daniel.