Daniel Family History

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Daniel Name Meaning

English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian (Dániel), Romanian, and Jewish: from the Hebrew personal name Daniel ‘God is my judge’, borne by a major prophet in the Bible. The major factor influencing the popularity of the personal name (and hence the frequency of the surname) was undoubtedly the dramatic story in the Book of Daniel, recounting the prophet’s steadfast adherence to his religious faith in spite of pressure and persecution from the Mesopotamian kings in whose court he served: Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar (at whose feast Daniel interpreted the mysterious message of doom that appeared on the wall, being thrown to the lions for his pains). The name was also borne by a 2nd-century Christian martyr and by a 9th-century hermit, the legend of whose life was popular among Christians during the Middle Ages; these had a minor additional influence on the adoption of the Christian name. Among Orthodox Christians in Eastern Europe the name was also popular as being that of a 4th-century Persian martyr, who was venerated in the Orthodox Church. Irish: reduced form of McDaniel, which is actually a variant of McDonnell, from the Gaelic form of Irish Donal (equivalent to Scottish Donald), erroneously associated with the Biblical personal name Daniel. See also O’Donnell.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Danis, Dankel, Dangel, Daniels, Angel, Bandel, Danieli, Faniel

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Daniel Family Origin

Where is the Daniel family from?

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You can see how Daniel families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Daniel family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Daniel families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 941 Daniel families living in London. This was about 13% of all the recorded Daniel's in the UK. London had the highest population of Daniel families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Daniel surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Daniel

Daniel Family Occupations

What did your Daniel ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Daniel occupation in the UK was Farmer. 9% of Daniel's were Farmers. Farmer, Coal Miner and Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Daniel. A less common occupation for the Daniel family was Agricultural Labourer.

View Census data for Daniel | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    9%

  • Coal Miner

    5%

  • Labourer

    3%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Daniel ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Daniel Historical Records

What Daniel family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 639,000 census records available for the last name Daniel. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Daniel census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Daniel

Passenger List

There are 63,000 immigration records available for the last name Daniel. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Daniel immigration records

Draft Card

There are 143,000 military records available for the last name Daniel. For the veterans among your Daniel ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Daniel military records

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Daniel Life Expectancy

What is the average Daniel lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Daniel life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Daniel in 1941 was 40, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Daniel

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Daniel ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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