Daniels (English)
Where does "Daniels" come from?
The surname 'Daniels' originates as a patronymic form created by adding the suffix 's' to the given name 'Daniel'[1]. This foundational name traces back to the Middle English 'Daniel' or 'Daniell', which was borrowed from the Ancient Greek 'Δᾱνῑήλ'[2][3]. The Greek form was itself derived from the Biblical Hebrew 'דָּנִיֵּאל', a name meaning 'God is my judge'[2][4]. This Hebrew origin is composed of 'דָּן' meaning 'one who judges', the suffix 'י' meaning 'me', and 'אֵל' meaning 'God'[4]. Beyond its use as a family name, 'Daniels' serves as a plural for 'Daniel' and appears as a place name for several locations in the United States, including a town in Wisconsin named after Daniel Johnson and a ghost town in Maryland named for the Daniels Company[1][2][3].
Full etymology tree
- Daniels (English), 'A surname transferred from the given name from the male given name Daniel.'
- derived Daniel (English), 'A book in the Old Testament of the Bible.'
- inherited Daniel (Middle English)
- inherited Δανιήλ (Daniél) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Biblical Hebrew, equivalent to English Daniel'
- borrowed דָּנִיֵּאל (Dāniyyêl) (Biblical Hebrew)
- compound דָּן (dan) (Biblical Hebrew)
- compound ־י (-i) (Biblical Hebrew)
- compound אֵל (el) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed דָּנִיֵּאל (Dāniyyêl) (Biblical Hebrew)
- inherited Δανιήλ (Daniél) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Biblical Hebrew, equivalent to English Daniel'
- inherited Daniel (Middle English)
- suffix -s (English), 'Used to form regular plurals of nouns.'
- derived Daniel (English), 'A book in the Old Testament of the Bible.'
Ancestors
Descendants and derived words
- Daniels County (English)
- Danielsville (English)
Sources
- Daniels (English) - Wiktionary
- Daniel (English) - Wiktionary
- Δανιήλ (Daniél) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- דניאל (Hebrew) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris