Meaning Hebrew "God is my judge."
Figure Prophet of the Babylonian exile; book of Daniel.
Feast day July 21 (Roman Calendar); December 17 (Orthodox)
Traditions CATHOLICORTHODOXANGLICANPROTESTANT
In the Christian tradition
Daniel is the prophet of the Babylonian exile, the figure of the lions' den (Daniel 6) and of the apocalyptic visions of Daniel 7-12. The name has been continuously in Christian use across the centuries and remains one of the most-used biblical names in modern English-speaking Christian families.
The book of Daniel is one of the few Old Testament books read both as historical narrative and as apocalyptic vision in the Christian tradition. The figure himself stands as a model of faithful witness under persecution, with the lions' den episode (Daniel 6) and the three companions in the furnace (Daniel 3) shaping Christian iconography across the centuries. The Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant calendars commemorate the prophet on different dates: the Roman Calendar honors him on July 21; the Orthodox calendar on December 17, in the period leading up to the Nativity. The name itself has been continuously in Christian use and remains common in modern English-speaking Christian families.