Daniel
Hebrew Daniyyel, “God is my judge.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
The prophet of the lions' den, a steady presence near the top of the boys' list for generations.
Daniel appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1880 to 2025. It spent 31 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 1985, when 38,559 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 5 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 22 for boys. All told, 1,991,091 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Danielle (373,698), Danial (9,474), Danyelle (5,806), Daniele (4,344), Dannielle (4,050), Danyel (3,249) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Danny
Explore Daniel interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,679 | No. 25 |
| 1890s | 5,185 | No. 37 |
| 1900s | 5,036 | No. 44 |
| 1910s | 23,978 | No. 51 |
| 1920s | 43,407 | No. 44 |
| 1930s | 47,998 | No. 38 |
| 1940s | 112,778 | No. 21 |
| 1950s | 243,727 | No. 16 |
| 1960s | 242,020 | No. 17 |
| 1970s | 244,454 | No. 10 |
| 1980s | 345,537 | No. 5 |
| 1990s | 272,360 | No. 5 |
| 2000s | 203,975 | No. 5 |
| 2010s | 133,952 | No. 8 |
| 2020s | 52,726 | No. 14 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.