| Daniel | Matthew | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is my judge | gift of Yahweh |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DAN-yul | MATH-yoo |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1985 (38,559) | 1983 (50,209) |
| In 2025 | 8,085 | 7,003 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Daniel | Matthew |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 52,726 | 44,052 |
| 2010s | 133,952 | 125,101 |
| 2000s | 203,975 | 221,631 |
| 1990s | 272,360 | 351,682 |
| 1980s | 345,537 | 458,951 |
| 1970s | 244,454 | 277,727 |
| 1960s | 242,020 | 105,938 |
| 1950s | 243,727 | 35,796 |
| 1940s | 112,778 | 8,760 |
| 1930s | 47,998 | 6,255 |
| 1920s | 43,407 | 8,566 |
| 1910s | 23,978 | 6,228 |
| 1900s | 5,036 | 1,188 |
| 1890s | 5,185 | 1,132 |
| 1880s | 5,679 | 1,068 |
Daniel is Hebrew for “God is my judge.” In the Bible, the prophet Daniel famously survived a night in the lions’ den.
English form of the Hebrew name Mattityahu (Mattathias), from mattath 'gift' + yah, a short form of the divine name Yahweh. The structure is 'gift of God': 'gift' + the name of God.
Daniel is more popular than Matthew today: about 8,085 US babies were given the name Daniel in 2025, compared with 7,003 named Matthew.
Daniel means God is my judge (Hebrew origin), while Matthew means gift of Yahweh (hebrew origin).
In US records, Daniel first appears in 1880 and Matthew in 1880, so Daniel has the longer recorded history.