Show ContentsDaniels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Daniels Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Daniels

What does the name Daniels mean?

During the biblical era, a Jew held only one name. This name was joined with their father's name typically using 'ben' ("son of"), to inform people who the individual's family ties were. Interestingly, the 4th century B.C. until the end of the Roman Empire it was quite common for Jews to have a Greek name rather than a Hebrew one. 1

The name Daniels is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. Before the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as the population increased and travelers set out on their journeys, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves. Jewish hereditary surnames were adopted from a variety of different sources.Two of the most common types of Jewish family names are patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. In this case, the surname Daniels is a patronymic name and is derived from the Hebrew given name Daniel, which means "God is my judge."

Daniels Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Daniel, Daniels, Danielis, Danilowski, Danmilecki, Danilowicz, Daniloski, Danilovic, Danilewicz, Danilevsky, Danisiewicz, Danowski, Danielecki, Danielkiewicz, Danielczyk, Danielski, Danielsky, Danielian and many more.

Daniels World Ranking

the United States, the name Daniels is the 150th most popular surname with an estimated 154,194 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Daniels is ranked the 800th most popular surname with an estimated 6,711 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Daniels is the 555th popular surname with an estimated 6,965 people with that name. 4 New Zealand ranks Daniels as 766th with 955 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Daniels as 385th with 16,655 people. 6 Netherlands ranks Daniels as 875th with 2,296 people. 7 South Africa ranks Daniels as 163rd with 37,761 people. 8

Daniels migration to the United States +



Daniels Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Wentworth Daniels, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1640 10
Daniels Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Daniels, who arrived in Mississippi in 1799 10
Daniels Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Miss Alice Daniels, aged 19, British settler who arrived in New Orleans aboard the ship "Hope" on 1st April 1842
  • Mr. Samuel E. Daniels, (b. 1806), aged 41, Barbadian merchant traveling aboard the ship "Fairmont" arriving in New York in 1848 the family was going to Philadelphia 11
  • Mrs. Sophia Daniels, (b. 1814), aged 34, Barbadian settler traveling aboard the ship "Fairmont" arriving in New York in 1848 the family was going to Philadelphia 11
  • Mr. Edward Daniels, (b. 1840), aged 8, Barbadian settler traveling aboard the ship "Fairmont" arriving in New York in 1848 the family was going to Philadelphia 11
  • Miss Jane Daniels, (b. 1840), aged 8, Barbadian settler traveling aboard the ship "Fairmont" arriving in New York in 1848 the family was going to Philadelphia 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Daniels Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Richard Daniels, (b. 1863), aged 40, Cornish miner, from St. Ives, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 26th July 1903 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 12

Daniels migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet, Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Miss Martha Daniels, (b. 1757), aged 31, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Lady Juliana" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 9
Second Fleet
  • Mr. John Daniels, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "William and Ann" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 10
Third Fleet
  • Mr. Daniel Daniels, (b. 1761), aged 26, English settler convicted in London on 26th May 1784, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 10
Following the First, Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Daniels Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Daniels migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Daniels Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Daniels, aged 35, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maori" in 1864
  • Miss Eliza Daniels, (b. 1850), aged 17, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" sailing to Auckland and Lyttelton, New Zealand on 29th July 1867 17
  • Miss Harriet Daniels, (b. 1847), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1874 18
  • Francis Daniels, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 17
  • Caroline Daniels, aged 26, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 17

Contemporary Notables of the name Daniels (post 1700) +

  • Jack Tupper Daniels (1933-2025), American exercise physiologist, running coach and a coach of Olympic athletes, named "The World's Best Coach" by Runner's World magazine
  • Cleopatra Vivian Daniels (b. 1902), American sergeant in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
  • Dorothy Ella Daniels (b. 1923), American private in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
  • Bennye Barbara Daniels (b. 1918), American corporal in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
  • Charles L. Daniels (1939-2023), American Democratic Party politician from Arkansas, State Auditor of Arkansas from 2011 to 2015, Arkansas Secretary of State, and as Commissioner of State Lands
  • Robert Eugene "Bob" Daniels (1935-2022), American college basketball player and coach from Tutor Key, Kentucky
  • Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels (1936-2020), American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016
  • David Daniels (1933-2020), American conductor and author from Penn Yan, New York
  • Charles W. Daniels (1943-2019), American jurist, Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court from 2007 to 2018
  • ... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Arrow Air Flight 1285
  • Mr. Walter G Daniels (1964-1985), American Private 1st Class from Columbus, Ohio, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 19
  • Mr. Charles G Daniels (b. 1918), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Lambeth, London, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20
  • Mr. Walter Frederick Daniels, British Shipwright 4th Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 21
  • George Daniels (1920-1939), British Stoker 2nd Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 22
  • Mr. Robert Cleary Daniels (1892-1917), British Stoker 1st Class from Lancashire, who was aboard the ship "HMS Vanguard" when she exploded in the Scapa Flow off the Orkney Islands, Scotland on 9th July 1917
  • ... (Another 3 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Weiss, Nelly. The Origin of Jewish family names: Morphology and History. Peter Lang AG, 2002. Digital
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  8. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  9. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  10. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  11. Barbados archives retrieved 2nd November 2021 from https://attheBarbadosarchives.wordpress.com/2003/07/18/Barbados-heritage-passenger-lists-and-Barbados-departures/
  12. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  15. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
  16. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  19. American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550
  20. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  21. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  22. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html

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