Given name & surname
Danny
“God is my judge”·“he judged”
In English use, Danny is an affectionate form of Daniel. Daniel means “God is my judge” in Hebrew. Danny is a variant of Dan. One Hebrew interpretation is “he judged.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Danny is an affectionate form of Daniel. Daniel means “God is my judge” in Hebrew. Danny is a variant of Dan. One Hebrew interpretation is “he judged.” In English use, Danny is a diminutive of Danielle. In Hebrew use, Danielle carries the interpretation “God is my judge.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Danny is an affectionate form 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
In English use, Danny is used as an affectionate form of Daniel. In English use, Danny is an affectionate form 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1900. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Danny is an affectionate form 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. Danny is a variant of Dan. The history of Dan gives this family its wider story. Dan appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Danny through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 288,341
- 286,648 boys · 1,693 girls
- Most popular year
- 1954
- 9,126 babies
- 2025
- 462
- #628 for boys · #6,600 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 445 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 628 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 16.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 9,103 in 1954. It also appeared in 17 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (77). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 197,114 as a first name in 2020; 336 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Danny’s family of names
In English usage, Danny is a diminutive of Daniel. In English usage, Danny developed from the Hebrew form דן. Danny has a related form in Danielle.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Danny has relatives in 10 languages.
15 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Danielfull form · French, German
- Danielafull form · English
- Daniellafull form · English
- Daniellefull form · English
- Danvariant · English
- Dannivariant · Danish
- Dannievariant · English
- Danyvariant · German, French
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Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Danny
- Danny DeVitoAmerican actor, comedian, director and producer (born 1944)
- Danny BoyleEnglish filmmakerborn 1956
- Danny WelbeckEnglish association football player (born 1990)
- Danny JacobsAmerican actorborn 1968
- Danny ElfmanAmerican film composer (born 1953)
- Danny GloverAmerican actor (born 1946)
- Danny TrejoNative Mexican-American character actorborn 1944
- Danny RoseEnglish footballer (born 1990)
- Danny AielloAmerican actor1933–2019
Characters named Danny: Danny Hale (fictional character), Danny Torrance (Stephen King's novel The Shining and its sequel Doctor Sleep).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Danny, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.