Boys' name · peaked in 1985
Daniel name popularity since 1925
1,930,080 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Daniel. Half of them were born in 1981 or earlier, so the typical Daniel is about 45 years old in 2026. Daniel peaked in 1985 as the #5 name for boys, and it ranked #22 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 1,930,080
- Named Daniel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #22
- for boys in 2025 (8,085 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 8,082 girls · 1,921,998 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 1.45× its national share
Peak year is the year Daniel made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Daniel births per year, 1925–2025
1985 was the biggest year for Daniel both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1944 and 1949, Daniel became 1.5× more common, from 1 in 146 baby boys to 1 in 97.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Daniel's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Daniel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Daniel in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 160 | 22,471 | – |
| 1930s | 207 | 47,998 | #43 |
| 1940s | 337 | 112,778 | #24 |
| 1950s | 496 | 243,727 | #17 |
| 1960s | 869 | 242,020 | #17 |
| 1970s | 1,553 | 244,454 | #11 |
| 1980s | 2,529 | 345,537 | #5 |
| 1990s | 1,121 | 272,360 | #9 |
| 2000s | 508 | 203,975 | #7 |
| 2010s | 223 | 133,952 | #12 |
| 2020–25 | 79 | 52,726 | #22 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
27.0% of babies named Daniel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Daniel is most popular
The index compares Daniel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Daniel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1.45× | 4,188 |
| Massachusetts | 1.33× | 61,771 |
| Wisconsin | 1.33× | 51,145 |
| Connecticut | 1.29× | 27,230 |
| New Hampshire | 1.28× | 7,871 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Daniel and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel (this page) | 1,921,998 | 1985 |
| Danial | 8,988 | 1965 |
| Danniel | 2,405 | 1950 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Daniel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Daniel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Daniel (1985).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data