Daniel
Name Origin & Meaning
A compound of 'Dan' (judge) and 'El' (God), Daniel declares the supremacy of divine justice over all earthly powers. The name was profoundly appropriate for a man who lived under Babylonian and Persian emperors who claimed absolute authority. His very name was a quiet declaration of allegiance to a higher court. In Jewish apocalyptic tradition, Daniel's name became associated with wisdom, interpretation, and the sovereignty of God over history.
First Biblical Appearance
“Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.”
Daniel's first appearance among the young men chosen for Babylonian royal training, before his name is changed to Belteshazzar.
Biblical Significance
Daniel was a young nobleman of Judah taken into Babylonian captivity and trained for royal service. He refused the king's food, interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, survived the fiery furnace (alongside Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) and the lions' den, and received sweeping apocalyptic visions of the four kingdoms, the seventy weeks, and the resurrection. He is mentioned alongside Noah and Job by Ezekiel as a figure of exceptional righteousness. His book is foundational to both Jewish apocalypticism and New Testament eschatology.
Notable Bearers
- Daniel the Prophet
- Daniel son of David (2 Samuel 3:3)
Personality & Character
Universal compassion and wisdom — the number of divine love reaching to the ends of the earth
Spiritual symbolism drawn from Scripture and tradition
Modern Variants
A Blessing for This Name
May you, like Daniel, maintain your convictions when the whole empire offers you compromise, finding that God shuts the mouths of every lion that threatens you. May wisdom be your crown and integrity your fortress in every court and boardroom you enter.