by Stefanina Hill

Created on: December 10, 2007

The masculine name Daniel originates in Hebrew and has the meaning God is my judge'.

In the Bible the book of Daniel relates how the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, took captive some of the people of Israel and Daniel (estimated to have been born around 620 BC) who was among those taken was given honours by the king due to his ability to interpret dreams. Daniel inspired both respect and resentment in Babylon due to his staunch fidelity to God.

The expression the writing on the wall' comes from the story of how Daniel was asked by Nebuchadnezzar's son, Belshazzar, to relate the meaning of a message which appeared on the wall of his palace. Daniel agreed and the message foretold of the demise of the sinful king Belshazzar who was slain later the same night.

After the removal of Nebuchadnezzar's son Darius the Mede received the kingdom and ruled Babylon. He held Daniel in high favour and due to this favour a plot was hatched against Daniel which resulted in the famous story of Daniel and the lion's den, where Daniel survives being imprisoned among hungry lions. This actually happened to Daniel a second time under King Cyrus and again God delivered him from death. It is deemed likely that Daniel was instrumental in influencing King Cyrus as regards the decree which brought Jewish captivity to a close (BC 536).

Whilst Christians regard Daniel as a prophet, he is not considered to be such according to Judaism or the Muslim faith.

The name Daniel has always been popular and in 2006 ranked as the sixth most popular name for new born baby boys in the US and ninth in the UK.

Famous people with the name Daniel include:

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23rd July 1989) the English actor known for his role in the Harry Potter movies and the 2007 production of the Peter Shaffer play Equus.

Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel (born September 5th 1846) the founder of the Jack Daniel's distillery for whiskey, a brand still popular today.

Jeffrey Daniel (born 24th August 1957) an American dancer and singer who was the first person to moonwalk on television.

Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born April 29th 1957) is an English actor who has won many awards and award nominations, he is known for his dedication to achieving authenticity in his chosen roles. He became an Irish citizen in 1993.

Name variants include;

Dan (the most common abbreviation), Danal, Danny, Daniele, Danyel Dannie
Various pronunciations include DAN-yul (English), dah-nee-EL (Hebrew), dan-YEL (French), DAH-nee-el (German) and DAHN-yel (Polish).

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