Daniel in Fausset's Bible Dictionary

i.e. "God is my judge"; or as others, "the judge of God," as his Chaldee name Belteshazzar means "the prince of Bel." Probably from royal blood; compare Daniel 1:3 with 1 Chronicles 3:1, from whence it appears he bore the same name as David's son by Abigail (who is called Chileab in 2 Samuel 3:3 "like his father".) Carried to Babylon in Nebuchadnezzar's first deportation of captives, in the fourth (Jeremiah 25:1; Jeremiah 46:2) or third (Daniel 1:1 counting only complete years) year of Jehoiakim, the first of Nebuchadnezzar (acting under Nabopolassar in the last year of the latter's reign, but reigning alone not until the year after; as Daniel 2:1 proves, for after Daniel's three years' training the year is nevertheless called the "second" of Nebuchadnezzar, i.e. of his sole reign). Daniel was put in training with three others of the royal seed, still "children" (Daniel 1:4), according to eastern etiquette, to become courtiers; and to mark his new position he received a Babylonian name, Belteshazzar (compare 2 Kings 23:34; 2 Kings 24:17; Ezra 5:14; Esther 2:7)...