Popularity of the name Daniel, 1880–2025
Daniel was at its most popular in 1985, when 38,559 boys were given the name: about 1 in 48 boys born in the U.S. that year, ranking #5. In 2025, 8,085 boys were named Daniel, ranking #22. In all, Social Security counts 1,982,812 boys named Daniel since 1880. Social Security’s records also list 8,279 girls named Daniel.
- Peak year
- 1985
- Rank in 1985
- #5
- Babies in 1985
- 38,559
- Rank in 2025
- #22
- Total since 1880
- 1,982,812
Where it stands now
In the past decade the name slipped from #12 in 2015 to #22 in 2025: 13,543 boys got it in 2015, and 8,085 in 2025.
Decade by decade
Its best decade was the 2000s, when 203,975 boys were named Daniel, #5 for the decade. It ranked #31 in the 1880s and #15 in the 2020s so far.
Every 20 years in the records: 643 in 1880 (#25), 598 in 1900 (#44), 3,897 in 1920 (#52), 6,225 in 1940 (#34), 25,945 in 1960 (#17), 29,888 in 1980 (#11), 22,338 in 2000 (#9) and 9,530 in 2020 (#14).
Highs and lows
The most boys given the name in a single year was 38,559, in 1985. Its best rank, #5, came in its peak year.
Every year
The table lists every year from 1880 to 2025 in which Social Security recorded at least 5 boys named Daniel, with the name’s rank that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 643 | #25 |
| 1881 | 527 | #29 |
| 1882 | 594 | #29 |
| 1883 | 615 | #25 |
| 1884 | 573 | #32 |
| 1885 | 535 | #32 |
| 1886 | 555 | #33 |
| 1887 | 556 | #31 |
| 1888 | 566 | #35 |
| 1889 | 515 | #36 |
| 1890 | 505 | #39 |
| 1891 | 505 | #37 |
| 1892 | 533 | #41 |
| 1893 | 522 | #39 |
| 1894 | 515 | #41 |
| 1895 | 516 | #40 |
| 1896 | 561 | #38 |
| 1897 | 520 | #39 |
| 1898 | 523 | #45 |
| 1899 | 485 | #42 |
| 1900 | 598 | #44 |
| 1901 | 416 | #48 |
| 1902 | 501 | #45 |
| 1903 | 432 | #50 |
| 1904 | 472 | #49 |
| 1905 | 484 | #50 |
| 1906 | 506 | #48 |
| 1907 | 528 | #52 |
| 1908 | 530 | #54 |
| 1909 | 569 | #54 |
| 1910 | 692 | #53 |
| 1911 | 796 | #53 |
| 1912 | 1,524 | #53 |
| 1913 | 1,878 | #54 |
| 1914 | 2,325 | #55 |
| 1915 | 3,002 | #55 |
| 1916 | 3,149 | #55 |
| 1917 | 3,360 | #54 |
| 1918 | 3,726 | #52 |
| 1919 | 3,526 | #51 |
| 1920 | 3,897 | #52 |
| 1921 | 4,087 | #49 |
| 1922 | 4,285 | #47 |
| 1923 | 4,264 | #47 |
| 1924 | 4,403 | #47 |
| 1925 | 4,548 | #44 |
| 1926 | 4,516 | #46 |
| 1927 | 4,615 | #46 |
| 1928 | 4,426 | #47 |
| 1929 | 4,366 | #47 |
| 1930 | 4,465 | #47 |
| 1931 | 4,360 | #44 |
| 1932 | 4,449 | #42 |
| 1933 | 4,310 | #42 |
| 1934 | 4,502 | #42 |
| 1935 | 4,591 | #43 |
| 1936 | 4,817 | #41 |
| 1937 | 5,124 | #39 |
| 1938 | 5,583 | #39 |
| 1939 | 5,797 | #38 |
| 1940 | 6,225 | #34 |
| 1941 | 7,050 | #31 |
| 1942 | 8,507 | #28 |
| 1943 | 9,168 | #25 |
| 1944 | 9,314 | #25 |
| 1945 | 9,708 | #24 |
| 1946 | 12,867 | #21 |
| 1947 | 15,189 | #22 |
| 1948 | 16,510 | #22 |
| 1949 | 18,240 | #22 |
| 1950 | 19,189 | #21 |
| 1951 | 21,121 | #21 |
| 1952 | 23,418 | #20 |
| 1953 | 23,498 | #20 |
| 1954 | 25,275 | #18 |
| 1955 | 26,460 | #17 |
| 1956 | 26,655 | #18 |
| 1957 | 27,337 | #16 |
| 1958 | 25,619 | #16 |
| 1959 | 25,155 | #18 |
| 1960 | 25,945 | #17 |
| 1961 | 25,904 | #17 |
| 1962 | 25,543 | #17 |
| 1963 | 24,815 | #19 |
| 1964 | 24,342 | #19 |
| 1965 | 24,833 | #17 |
| 1966 | 23,269 | #19 |
| 1967 | 22,192 | #19 |
| 1968 | 22,012 | #18 |
| 1969 | 23,165 | #18 |
| 1970 | 23,521 | #19 |
| 1971 | 21,785 | #20 |
| 1972 | 22,092 | #15 |
| 1973 | 23,672 | #11 |
| 1974 | 23,833 | #11 |
| 1975 | 23,814 | #11 |
| 1976 | 24,702 | #10 |
| 1977 | 26,073 | #11 |
| 1978 | 26,441 | #11 |
| 1979 | 28,521 | #12 |
| 1980 | 29,888 | #11 |
| 1981 | 30,985 | #10 |
| 1982 | 32,652 | #10 |
| 1983 | 34,748 | #8 |
| 1984 | 36,531 | #6 |
| 1985 | 38,559 | #5 |
| 1986 | 36,573 | #6 |
| 1987 | 35,876 | #7 |
| 1988 | 34,718 | #8 |
| 1989 | 35,007 | #6 |
| 1990 | 33,830 | #5 |
| 1991 | 30,935 | #6 |
| 1992 | 29,157 | #7 |
| 1993 | 28,698 | #7 |
| 1994 | 28,065 | #8 |
| 1995 | 26,728 | #9 |
| 1996 | 25,128 | #11 |
| 1997 | 23,950 | #11 |
| 1998 | 23,165 | #12 |
| 1999 | 22,704 | #9 |
| 2000 | 22,338 | #9 |
| 2001 | 21,013 | #9 |
| 2002 | 21,352 | #10 |
| 2003 | 21,072 | #8 |
| 2004 | 21,018 | #7 |
| 2005 | 20,236 | #7 |
| 2006 | 20,082 | #6 |
| 2007 | 20,268 | #5 |
| 2008 | 19,032 | #5 |
| 2009 | 17,564 | #7 |
| 2010 | 15,869 | #8 |
| 2011 | 15,307 | #10 |
| 2012 | 14,304 | #11 |
| 2013 | 14,326 | #10 |
| 2014 | 13,961 | #10 |
| 2015 | 13,543 | #12 |
| 2016 | 12,996 | #13 |
| 2017 | 11,758 | #15 |
| 2018 | 11,296 | #15 |
| 2019 | 10,592 | #15 |
| 2020 | 9,530 | #14 |
| 2021 | 9,162 | #16 |
| 2022 | 9,121 | #14 |
| 2023 | 8,402 | #17 |
| 2024 | 8,426 | #16 |
| 2025 | 8,085 | #22 |
How these numbers are counted
Social Security publishes, for every year since 1880, how many babies of each sex were given each name, counting any name given to at least 5. A name’s rank is its place that year among names for the same sex, by number of babies. Names with the same count share a rank here, while Social Security’s own lists break ties alphabetically, so a rank can differ from theirs by a place or two. A name’s share is the number of babies given it divided by all babies of that sex in the data that year, and its peak is the year that share was highest. Shares rather than counts set the peak, because far more babies were born in some years than others: counting babies alone would pull nearly every name’s peak toward the 1946–1964 baby boom.
Source: the U.S. Social Security Administration’s national baby name data, from Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S. A name is left out of a year when fewer than 5 babies of one sex got it, and counts before about 1937 are incomplete, because many people born then never applied for a card. See how Baby Boom builds its data. Figures may contain errors.