Danielle
Danielle was the 549th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 550 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 14th with 17,010 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 254 places. More babies were named Danielle in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning God is my judge (feminine of Daniel) · Hebrew, French
Say it dan-YEL /dænˈjɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #549 girls, down 101 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 550girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198717,010 babies
- Total since 1880
- 373,698babies recorded
What does the name Danielle mean?
Danielle is the French feminine of Daniel, as Wiktionary notes. DMNES glosses the Hebrew Daniel "God is my judge" and lists the prophet of the Book of Daniel (Daniel 1:6). Danielle came into English use in the 20th century and was very popular in the US from the 1970s to the 1990s.
דָּנִיֵּאל (Biblical Hebrew, “God is my judge”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Daniel, Daniela, Dani, Daniella.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Danielle', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Daniel', DMNES, Durham University
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Daniel 1.6, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
Nicknames for Danielle
The usual nicknames for Danielle are Dani and Elle. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Danielle in the last five years, 117 were named Elle, against 12 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dani · also for Daniela | Modern | #747 | 1,969 |
| Elle · also for Eleanor, Gabrielle | Modern | #461 | 3,679 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Danielles go by each one.
Danielle popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,895 since 1963.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #549 | 550 |
| 2020 | #448 | 692 |
| 2010 | #195 | 1,607 |
| 2000 | #48 | 6,092 |
| 1990 | #18 | 14,339 |
| 1980 | #33 | 8,845 |
| 1970 | #114 | 3,368 |
| 1960 | #553 | 312 |
| 1950 | #909 | 96 |
| 1940 | #1,189 | 38 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Danielle, counting every spelling?
Danielle is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #540 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #549 for Danielle on its own. Together these spellings went to 556 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danielle | 550 | #549 | 3,140 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Danielle?
550 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Danielle (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Danielle born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Danielle.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Danielle?
About 359,000 people born in the US named Danielle are alive today, with a median age of 38; half are between 31 and 44. That makes Danielle mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Danielle by state
How common Danielle was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kansas (1.8×), Virginia (1.7×), Oklahoma (1.6×), Indiana (1.6×), Arkansas (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, New Hampshire, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Danielle: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Danielle, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Danielle · Sibling names for Danielle
Questions about the name Danielle
What does Danielle mean?
Danielle means “God is my judge (feminine of Daniel)” (Hebrew, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Danielle?
Danielle was the 549th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 550 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 14th with 17,010 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 254 places. More babies were named Danielle in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Danielle a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Danielle in the US.
Where is Danielle most popular?
In 2021–2025, Danielle was most common in Montana (1.11 per 1,000 girls), followed by Kansas and Virginia.