McDaniel: Surname History and Family Crest

McDaniel began as an Irish family name. Elsdon Smith's dictionary of American family names explains it as “the son of Domhnall (world mighty)”.

McDaniel coat of arms

Sharing the McDaniel name is not the same as sharing a crest; arms were granted to individual families.

Surname origin

Like many surnames, it grew out of a personal name. Related forms include McDaniels, MacDaniel and MacDaniels.

McDaniel ranked 352 in the 2010 US Census, with 88,728 people answering to the name. Names that sound alike, such as McDonell, are easily confused in old records. Research your McDaniel family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.