# Daniel (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/daniel/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A British surname originating as a patronymic, a variant of Daniels.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Greek |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 80,526 |
| US rank (2010) | 396 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,834 people |
| Change since 2000 | +7.2% (75,135 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdænjəl/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Danis, Daneau, Danel, Danès, Danet, Daniau, Deniau, Deniaud, Deniel, Dennel |

## Etymology

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

## Who carries it

Share of people named Daniel in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 63% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 26% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Daniel in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Nigeria.

## People named Daniel

- Brittany Daniel, American actress
- Jack Daniel, American distiller and founder of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distillery. (1850–1911)
- Marcos Daniel, Brazilian tennis player
- Price Daniel, American judge and Texas Governor (1910–1988)
- Cynthia Daniel, American actress and photographer
- Glyn Daniel, British archaeologist (1914-1986)
- Gregory Daniel, American bicycle racer
- Ellie Daniel, American swimmer
- Sean Daniel, American film producer
- Grace Daniel, badminton player
- Rod Daniel, American film and television director (1942–2016)
- Charles E. Daniel, American politician (1895-1964)

and 8 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Danley, Daniell, Daniele, Danial, Damelio, Donnelly, Donley, Donnell, Demello, DeMille, Dumlao, Duhamel.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.