2000
#180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138,776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 51.44
Common Last name
Daniels
From the Hebrew name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge," adopted as an English surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 162,016 Americans carry the last name Daniels. That puts it at #194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 47.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daniels surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Daniels with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
162K
1 in 2,116
Census rank
#194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
47.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
141K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 141,286 bearers of the surname Daniels in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 47.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daniels, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Daniels
The surname Daniels is of English origin, deriving from the personal name Daniel, which itself is of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge." The name Daniel was brought to England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Daniels date back to the late 12th century, found in various tax rolls and legal documents from that era. These early spellings include Danieles, Danielis, and Danyelis, reflecting the transition from the Norman-French to the more modern English spelling.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Robert Daniels, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1208. Another early reference can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire from 1214, which record a William Daniels.
The surname Daniels is also found in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings throughout England commissioned by William the Conqueror. While the Domesday Book doesn't contain surnames as we understand them today, it does list individuals with the personal name Daniel, some of whom may have been ancestors of later Daniels families.
As the surname grew in popularity, it became associated with various place names throughout England, leading to variations such as Danielston and Danyelston. These place names likely refer to settlements or estates owned or inhabited by early Daniels families.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Daniels include the English poet and playwright Samuel Daniels (1562-1619), whose works include the plays "The Tragedy of Cleopatra" and "The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses." Another prominent figure was the English Puritan minister and scholar William Daniels (1571-1628), who served as the rector of St. Michael's Church in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
In the arts, one of the most famous Daniels was the English actor and comedian Jack Daniels (1884-1965), known for his work in music hall and vaudeville performances. The American journalist and author Jonathan Daniels (1939-1981) also achieved recognition for his coverage of the Civil Rights Movement and his book "The Siberian Curse."
Additionally, the surname Daniels has been carried by several notable military figures throughout history, such as the English naval officer Sir Charles Daniels (1661-1721), who served as a rear admiral in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daniels
Among Census respondents with the surname Daniels, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Daniels bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Daniels surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.7% · 74,523
- Black or African American37.1% · 52,444
- Two or more races4.9% · 6,937
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 5,307
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 958
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daniels
Daniels appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146,570
+7,794 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 49.69
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141,286
-5,284 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 47.27
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #180 | 138,776 | 51.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #187 | 146,570 | 49.69 | +7,794 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #194 | 141,286 | 47.27 | -5,284 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 7 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Daniels surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #187 | #194 | -3.7% |
| Count | 146,570 | 141,286 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 49.69 | 47.27 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daniels bearers went from 146,570 to 141,286 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #187 to #194.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Daniels
FAQ
Daniels surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daniels?
Name Census estimates that about 162,016 living Americans carry the surname Daniels. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,116 residents.
How common is Daniels?
Daniels ranks #194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 47.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 47 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 141,286 people with the surname Daniels. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (162,016), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 47.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 47.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 47 of them to have the surname Daniels.
Has Daniels become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daniels went from 146,570 recorded bearers to 141,286. That is a decrease of 5,284 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #187 to #194.
What does the Census say about the background of Daniels?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daniels, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Black (37.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Daniels in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.7% (74,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daniels appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.7%), Black (37.1%), Two or More Races (4.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Daniels (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Daniels mean?
From the Hebrew name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge," adopted as an English surname. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Daniels (47.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Daniels?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.