GENDER: Masculine
USAGE: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek
OTHER SCRIPTS: דָּנִיֵּאל (Hebrew), Даниел (Macedonian), Դանիէլ (Armenian), დანიელ (Georgian), Δανιηλ (Ancient Greek)
PRONOUNCED: DAN-yul (English), dah-nee-EL (Jewish), dan-YEL (French), DAH-nee-el (German), DAHN-yel (Polish) [key]
Meaning & History
From the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).
Meaning & History
From the Greek name Στεφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". Saint Stephen was a deacon who was stoned to death, as told in Acts in the New Testament, and he is regarded as the first Christian martyr. Due to him, the name became common in the Christian world. It was popularized in England by the Normans.
This was the name of kings of England, Serbia, and Poland, as well as ten popes. It was also borne by the first Christian king of Hungary (10th century), who is regarded as the patron saint of that country. More recent bearers include British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-) and the American author Stephen King (1947-).