Daniel - What Does Your Name Mean?

What does the name Daniel mean, what is its origin and who are the famous Daniels? Discover the story behind the name.

Name Meaning: Daniel

Daniel is a male name pronounced DAN-yul. It is also a surname.

The name is derived from the ancient Hebrew name 'Danyyiel' which means "God is my judge". In Hebrew it is written as דניאל.

The surname 'Daniels' means "son of Daniel".

Daniel is a common name in many parts of the world, and can be spelled over one hundred different ways!

Daniel is the main figure of the Book of Daniel in the Christian Bible.

The book tells the story of Daniel, a prophet from Judea, who, as a young man, was taken to Babylon during the Jewish captivity around 600BC. (Babylon is modern day Iraq.) Daniel became a member of the court of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, where he had prophetic visions and was able to interpret the king's dreams.

Daniel is probably most famous for being thrown into a lion's den because of his loyalty to his God. The Bible story tells how God shut the mouths of the lions so that he remained unharmed.

Dan, Danny, Dannie, Dano

Daniel Bernoulli - Dutch-Swiss mathematican - (1700-1782)
Daniel Defoe - English author of "Robinson Crusoe" - c.1659-1731
Daniel Boone - American pioneer & frontiersman - 1734-1820
Dan Beard - American founder of the Boy Scouts - 1850-1941
Dan Daniel - American sportswriter - 1890-1981
Dan Lewis - Welsh football goalkeeper - 1902-1965
Daniil Kharms - Russian surrealist and absurdist writer - 1905-1942
Danny Thomas - American entertainer - 1912 - 1991
Dan DeCarlo - American cartoonist - 1919-2001
Daniil Granin - Russian writer born 1919
Danny La Rue - Irish entertainer - 1927–2009
Dan Gurney - American racing car driver born 1931
Daniel Barenboim - Argentinian pianist & conductor born 1942
Daniel Dennett - American philosopher born 1942
Danny DeVito - American actor born 1944
Dan Glickman - American businessman & politician born 1944
Dan Reeves - American footballer & head coach born 1944
Danny Glover - American actor born 1946
Dan O'Bannon - American film maker - 1946-2009
Dan Cruickshank -English architectural historian and tv presenter born 1949
Dan Lewis - American newsreader born 1950
Daniel Ciobotea - Romanian church patriarch born 1951
Dan Aykroyd - Canadian actor born 1952
Danny Elfman - American musician born 1953
Dan Castellaneta - American actor born 1957
Daniel Day-Lewis - English actor born 1957
Daniel Castellani - Argentinian volleyball player & coach born 1961
Daniel Johnston - American singer-songwriter born 1961
Dan Marino - American football player born 1961
Daniel Colla - Argentinian volleyball player born 1964
Dan Brown - American author born 1964
Dan Savage - American journalist born 1964
Dan Jansen - American Olympic gold medalist speed skater born 1965
Dan Majerle - American basketball player born 1965
Daniel Craig - English actor born 1968

Daniel Brunhart - Leichensteinian judoka born 1968
Daniel Dae Kim - Korean-American actor born 1968
Daniel Drezner - American political scientist born 1968
Daniel Jorgensen - American freestyle swimmer born 1968
Danny Wood - American singer & songwriter born 1969
Daniel Delfino - Argentinian football player born 1970
Daniel Málek - Czech breaststroke swimmer born 1970
Daniel Mameri - Brazilian water polo player born 1972
Danny Way - American professional skateboarder born 1974
Daniel Chan - Hong Kong actor & singer born 1975
Dan Green - American voice actor born 1975
Daniel Rincón - Colombian road cyclist born 1975
Daniel Tosh - American stand-up comedian & tv presenter born 1975
Dan Lewis - Canadian volleyball player - born 1976
Danny Ahn - Korean-American rapper & actor born 1978
Daniel Plinski - Polish volleyball player born 1978
Dan Snow - English television presenter born 1978
Daniel Henney - Korean-American actor & model born 1979
Daniel Johns - Australian singer & musician born 1979
Dan Kowarsky - Canadian singer born 1979
Daniel Lins Cortês - Brazilian football player born 1979
Daniel Armand Lee (aka Tablo) - Korean-Canadian hip hop artist born 1980
Daniel Vasilevski - Australian football player born 1981
Daniel Jacobs - American guitarist born 1982
Danny! - American record producer & rap performer born 1983
Danny Alves - Venezuelan-born Portuguese football player born 1983
Daniel Murphy - American baseball player born 1985
Daniel Gibson - American basketball player born 1986
Danny Saucedo - Swedish pop/dance-singer born 1986
Daniel Anthony - English actor born 1987
Daniel Radcliffe - British actor born 1989