Daniel vs Samuel
Daniel and Samuelcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Daniel was ranked #13 and Samuel #76 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Daniel was ranked #37 and Samuel #64 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Daniel was ranked #64 and Samuel #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Daniel was ranked #53 and Samuel #50 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Daniel was ranked #52 and Samuel #69 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Daniel was ranked #59 and Samuel #60 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Daniel was ranked #66 and Samuel #75 among boys in Norway.
Daniel and Samuel over time
Daniel and Samuel appear together in 6 published lists, across 299 years of shared records. Daniel held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Samuel in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Daniel reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Samuel in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Samuel moved into the top 50 at #39 in 2023 as Daniel fell out of it to #55, having been #47 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Samuel moved ahead of Daniel in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #47 and #52 the year before became #55 and #39.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Daniel and Samuel changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #59 and #60.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Daniel and Samuel averaged 2.6 places apart, ending at #59 and #60.
- Longest-running competitions
Daniel and Samuel were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 53 years, from 1972 to 2025, ending at #64 and #38.
List by list
Norway · Boys73 shared years, 1946–2025
Daniel held the stronger position in 70 of those years, Samuel in 3.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #3 in 1989, Samuel #44 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Daniel #66, Samuel #75.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Daniel held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Samuel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #3 in 2009, Samuel #33 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Daniel #13, Samuel #76.
New Zealand · Boys54 shared years, 1967–2023
Daniel held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Samuel in 22.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #1 in 1980, Samuel #3 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Daniel #53, Samuel #50.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys53 shared years, 1972–2025
Daniel held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Samuel in 16.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 1979, Samuel #10 in 2003.
The order changed in 2023: Samuel moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #47 and #52; by 2023 that had become #55 and #39.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Daniel #64, Samuel #38.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Daniel held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Samuel in 8.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 1996, Samuel #6 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Daniel #59, Samuel #60.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Daniel held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Samuel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 2010, Samuel #25 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Daniel #37, Samuel #64.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Daniel | Samuel |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'God is my judge', referencing the biblical prophet Daniel. | Traditionally rendered as 'name of God', though also popularly interpreted as 'God has heard' — sources differ on which root is emphasised. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdænjəl/ | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #13 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Daniel is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Samuel is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel origin.
- Daniel and Samuel both have 2 syllables.
- Daniel's recorded meaning differs from Samuel's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Daniel
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #280 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1954–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #64 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Samuel
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #339 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1998 (recorded 1967–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys