Daniel
Say it: DAN-yul
BoyMeans god is my judge6 letters2 syllables
#13
in Ireland (2025)
#14 with spellings combined
225
babies in 2025
#3
best rank (2009)
29,757
babies since 1964
Down 11
10-year rank change
Daniel through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 225 | #14 |
| 2024 | 257 | #12 |
| 2023 | 256 | #11 |
| 2022 | 303 | #12 |
| 2021 | 325 | #10 |
| 2020 | 359 | #5 |
| 2019 | 399 | #5 |
| 2018 | 433 | #6 |
| 2017 | 536 | #3 |
| 2016 | 558 | #3 |
| 2015 | 617 | #3 |
| 2014 | 638 | #3 |
| 2013 | 678 | #3 |
| 2012 | 683 | #3 |
| 2011 | 711 | #4 |
| 2010 | 792 | #3 |
| 2009 | 842 | #3 |
| 2008 | 828 | #4 |
| 2007 | 725 | #4 |
| 2006 | 636 | #6 |
| 2005 | 654 | #6 |
| 2004 | 630 | #6 |
| 2003 | 617 | #6 |
| 2002 | 559 | #6 |
| 2001 | 475 | #11 |
| 2000 | 467 | #11 |
| 1999 | 479 | #9 |
| 1998 | 428 | #10 |
| 1997 | 607 | #8 |
| 1996 | 684 | #5 |
| 1995 | 609 | #8 |
| 1994 | 518 | #10 |
| 1993 | 564 | #10 |
| 1992 | 594 | #10 |
| 1991 | 610 | #10 |
| 1990 | 623 | #9 |
| 1989 | 575 | #11 |
| 1988 | 517 | #13 |
| 1987 | 495 | #16 |
| 1986 | 557 | #14 |
| 1985 | 547 | #14 |
| 1984 | 462 | #16 |
| 1983 | 455 | #16 |
| 1982 | 395 | #26 |
| 1981 | 431 | #21 |
| 1980 | 373 | #25 |
| 1979 | 350 | #27 |
| 1978 | 322 | #29 |
| 1977 | 316 | #31 |
| 1976 | 309 | #30 |
| 1975 | 304 | #29 |
| 1974 | 268 | #37 |
| 1973 | 285 | #33 |
| 1972 | 257 | #36 |
| 1971 | 288 | #28 |
| 1970 | 330 | #26 |
| 1969 | 298 | #25 |
| 1968 | 324 | #25 |
| 1967 | 304 | #26 |
| 1966 | 337 | #24 |
| 1965 | 344 | #25 |
| 1964 | 395 | #19 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Daniel mean?
God is my judge
Hebrew, the name of the prophet in the Book of Daniel.
Say it right
DANyul
The story of Daniel
Daniel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge”. It belongs to the prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel, and it has been used as a given name in English since the Middle Ages. In Ireland it was sometimes used as an English form of the native name Dónall, although the two are not related.
One of the best-known Irish bearers is Daniel O’Connell, called the Liberator, who led Ireland’s Catholic majority in the early 1800s and won Catholic emancipation in 1829.
Daniel has been given in large numbers throughout the CSO records. It was in the top ten almost every year from 1990 to 2021, and reached number 3 in 2009, its biggest year, with 842 boys. It was second in Northern Ireland in 2010, but has fallen further there than in the Republic, to 34th in 2025.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Daniel (English proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Dónall (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Daniel (given name)
- Wikipedia: Daniel O'Connell
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
DanDanny
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel | 225 | 29,757 |
In Northern Ireland
#34 in 2025 with 53 babies. Best rank #2 (2010); 5,289 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.