Daniel \d(a)-niel\ as a boy's name is pronounced DAN-yel. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Daniel is "God is my judge". Biblical: the prophet and writer of the book of Daniel was a teenager when he was taken to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 BC. He survived a politically motivated death sentence in a lions' den. Many prominent men have had the name since, among them statesman Daniel Webster and frontiersman Daniel Boone. Danilo is a Spanish form; Dantrell is a contemporary blended variant. Novelist Daniel Defoe; entertainers Danny Thomas, Danny Kaye; Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Danny DeVito, Danny Aiello, Daniel Radcliffe.
Daniel has 20 variant forms: Dan, Danal, Dane, Daneal, Danek, Danell, Dani, Danial, Daniele, Danil, Danilo, Danko, Dannel, Dannie, Danny, Dantrell, Danya, Danyal, Danyel and Deiniol.
For more information, see also the related name Dana.