How Many People Are Named Daniel?
An estimated 1,672,238 people in the United States have the first name Daniel, making it one of the 10 most popular first names in the country (ranked #9, behind Christopher). It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 43 years old, and Daniel peaked in popularity in 1985 with 38,858 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Richard (1,568,549).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Daniel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Daniel paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Daniel is overwhelmingly male, 8,268 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
1,672,238
About 1 in 205 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
43
years old
Peak Year
1985
38,858 births
Total Registered
1,982,857
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Daniel
Daniel is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 1,982,857 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Daniel as a male name
Ranked #16 in 2024
8,391 male births in 2024
Peak: 1985 (38,564 births)
Daniel as a female name
Ranked #10,441 in 2024
9 female births in 2024
Peak: 1985 (294 births)
Daniel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,607,193 people with the first name Daniel, which placed it at #9 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Daniel was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 1,607,193 people with this name in that snapshot, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.6% of the time.
Census Count
1,607,193
people with this name
Census Rank
#9
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
532.13
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Daniel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (67.13%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (22.88%) and Black (4.17%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Daniel in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Daniel.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 67.13% | 1,078,953 |
| Hispanic | 22.88% | 367,785 |
| Black | 4.17% | 67,007 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.77% | 44,475 |
| Two or More Races | 2.56% | 41,082 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.49% | 7,891 |
Daniel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Daniel span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 348,088 babies were registered. Daniel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Daniel by Decade
How has Daniel tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,679 | 5,679 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 5,185 | 5,185 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 5,048 | 5,036 | 12 | |
| 1910s | 24,066 | 23,978 | 88 | |
| 1920s | 43,664 | 43,407 | 257 | |
| 1930s | 48,205 | 47,998 | 207 | |
| 1940s | 113,113 | 112,776 | 337 | |
| 1950s | 244,221 | 243,725 | 496 | |
| 1960s | 242,883 | 242,014 | 869 | |
| 1970s | 246,016 | 244,463 | 1,553 | |
| 1980s | 348,088 | 345,559 | 2,529 | |
| 1990s | 273,465 | 272,345 | 1,120 | |
| 2000s | 204,459 | 203,951 | 508 | |
| 2010s | 134,132 | 133,909 | 223 | |
| 2020s | 44,633 | 44,564 | 69 | |
Daniel by State
Birth registrations for Daniel span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska. On average, about 38,488 Daniels were registered per state.
Daniel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Daniel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Daniel
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Daniel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Daniel?
We estimate approximately 1,672,238 people named Daniel are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 205 Americans share this first name.
Is Daniel a common name?
Daniel is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,982,857 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Daniel most popular?
Daniel reached peak popularity in 1985, when 38,858 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Daniel is approximately 43 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Daniel in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 1,607,193 people with the first name Daniel. That placed it at #9 in the published Census first-name tables, or 532.13 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Daniel was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Daniel?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Daniel was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 99.7% male and 0.3% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Daniel?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Daniel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (67.13%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (22.88%) and Black (4.17%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Daniel a male name?
Daniel is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Daniel have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Daniel peaked in 1985, and the average living bearer is about 43 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Daniel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Daniel Smith, Daniel Johnson, Daniel Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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