Given name & surname
Danilo
“God is my judge”
Danilo is a variant of Daniel. Daniel means “God is my judge” in Hebrew.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Danilo is a variant of Daniel. Daniel means “God is my judge” in Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Danilo is a variant of Daniel. Daniel is a Hebrew biblical name used in Jewish naming traditions and in languages including English, French, German, Polish, and Czech.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Danilo is a variant of Daniel. The shared background comes through Daniel: Daniel’s Hebrew meaning has remained closely tied to its biblical identity. In Ireland, Daniel has also served as an English-language substitute for Gaelic Domhnall, a separate historical use.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1946. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Danilo is a variant of Daniel. The history of Daniel gives this family its wider story. The biblical Daniel is remembered for interpreting dreams and surviving the lions’ den. His story was a favourite subject of medieval miracle plays, giving the name a life in performance as well as scripture.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Danilo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,674
- 4,674 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 209 babies
- 2025
- 147
- #1,316 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +6%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 147 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,316 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 5.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (34). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,920 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Danilo’s family of names
Danilo shares a linguistic root with Daniel. In Italian usage, Danilo has a related form in Daniele. Danilo has a related form in Daniel.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Danilo has relatives in 6 languages.
4 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Danilo
- Danilo TürkPresident of Slovenia from 2007 to 2012born 1952
- DaniloBrazilian association football player (born 1991)
- Danilo KišSerbian and Yugoslav novelist (1935–1989)
- Danilo Medinaformer president of the Dominican Republicborn 1951
- Danilo PereiraPortuguese association football playerborn 1991
- Danilo D'AmbrosioItalian footballerborn 1988
- Danilo GallinariItalian basketball player (born 1988)
- DaniloBrazilian footballer (born 2001)
- DaniloBrazilian association football playerborn 1979
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Danilo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Asa
“doctor, healer” · “born in the morning”
89% boys · 11% girls
Mordecai
“devotee of the god Marduk” · “a servant of Marduk, a Babylonian god”
>99% boys
Yakov
“heel grabber” · “supplanter”
>99% boys
Dany
“he judged” · “God is my judge”
>99% boys
Eleazar
“God will help”
>99% boys
Urias
“God is light” · “The Lord is my light”
>99% boys
Barnabas
“son of consolation” · “the son of the prophet; the son of encouragement”
>99% boys
Enoc
“experienced” · “one who is dedicated to God”
>99% boys