Danl
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Danl. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Danl today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Danl births was 1981 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Danl. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Danl. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1981
5 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1981 SSA rank
#6,481
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Danl: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Danl by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Danl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Danl
The name Danl is an uncommon variant of the more widely known name Daniel, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. The name Daniel itself is derived from the Hebrew words "dan" meaning "judge" and "el" meaning "God," thus giving it the meaning "God is my judge."
Danl is believed to have emerged as a shortened form of Daniel, likely in regions where the influence of Hebrew culture and language was strong. The earliest recorded instances of the name Danl can be traced back to ancient Middle Eastern civilizations, particularly those with ties to the Israelites or Jewish communities.
One of the earliest and most notable references to the name Daniel can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. The Book of Daniel tells the story of a young Hebrew man named Daniel who was taken captive to Babylon and rose to prominence due to his wisdom and ability to interpret dreams. This biblical figure, believed to have lived during the 6th century BCE, is often considered one of the most famous individuals to bear the name.
Throughout history, several other prominent figures have carried the name Danl or its variants. In the 13th century, Danl of Galloway was a Scottish nobleman and one of the leaders of the Galwegian revolt against King Alexander II of Scotland. Another notable bearer of the name was Danl Lascelles-Arnold (1726-1799), an English landowner and Member of Parliament.
In the realm of arts and literature, Danl Defoe (1660-1731) was a renowned English writer best known for his novels "Robinson Crusoe" and "Moll Flanders." Danl Mendoza (1764-1836), on the other hand, was a celebrated English boxer and prizefighter who was instrumental in establishing the sport's rules and regulations.
Moving into more recent times, Danl Massey (1933-1992) was an American actor and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and television shows throughout his career. Danl Libeskind (born 1946) is a Polish-American architect renowned for his innovative and unconventional designs, including the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Ground Zero Master Plan in New York City.
While the name Danl may not be as commonly used today as its longer counterpart, Daniel, it holds a rich historical legacy spanning various cultures and time periods. From biblical figures to modern-day artists and architects, the name has been carried by individuals who have left their mark on various aspects of human civilization.
People
Danl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Danl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Danl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Danl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Danl going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Danl a common name?
We classify Danl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Danl most popular?
The single biggest year for Danl was 1981, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Danl is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Danl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Danl a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Danl in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Danl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Danl in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Danl can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Danl?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Danl, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.