Daniel

“God is my judge”.

Daniel is a masculine Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge”. It carries a complete statement about the divine, rather than simply the word “judge”. In the biblical story of the lions’ den, Daniel continues praying despite a royal ban and emerges unharmed. The story gives the name an association with steadfast faith, separate from its literal meaning. Daniel keeps the same spelling in English, German, French and Spanish, but its sound changes. English /ˈdæn.jəl/ leans on the beginning, while Spanish /da.ˈnjel/ places the stress at the end. The d gives the name a clear start and the n and l soften its movement; to our ear it feels grounded rather than severe. For a multilingual family, those familiar letters can hold more than one everyday rhythm.

Etymology: Daniel comes from Hebrew דָּנִיֵּאל, combining an element connected with judging and El, “God”. The name expresses “God is my judge” or “my judge is God”.