The surname McDaniel appeared as a Scottish clan or family in their territory of county Antrim. This name was a variant of MacDonnell from the ancient Lords of the Isles. The MacDaniels were gallowglasses (soldiers of fortune) to the powerful Chiefs of Northern Ireland and Ulster about the 14th century

The name appears in early records in the various spellings of MacDaniell, MacDanell, Macdannell, MacDaniel, Magdaniel, MacDaniells, MacDaniels, McDanniell, McDanell, McDannel, McDAniells, McDennil, MacDoniel, McDoniel, McDaniels, McDaniel, and others, of which the form last mentioned is that most frequently found in America today.

Family historians state that the family is descended from one Muireadach or Colla da Crioch, who was living in Ireland in the latter part of the third century AD, through the MacDonell or MacDonall Clan, some of whom used the variant MacDaniel.

Movement of the McDaniels into the USA came with the founding of Pennsylvania, about 40,000 square miles, was confirmed to William Penn under the Great Seal on the 5th of January, 1681. Thereupon Penn induced people to immigrate, the terms being 40 shillings per hundred acres, and "shares" of 5,000 acres for 100 pounds. These generous terms induced many to set out for the new world. In the year 1683-84, emigration increased. Pioneers came from England, Ireland, Wales, Holland and Germany.

Lt. Bryan McDonald served in Col. Francis Toole's regiment of foot (an Irish Volunteer Regiment) in the cause of King James II of England. After the cause was lost, Lt. Bryan McDonald immigrated to America with his wife Mary, and five children. On November 18, 1689 he purchased from William Penn 693 acres of land in Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware. He lived there until he died in 1707.

The first of this name in New England was John M(a)cDaniel, who settled in Boston, Mass., before 1658. He was married in that year to Elizabeth Smith, by whom he was the father of John, Elizabeth, Martha, Mary (died young), Michael, William and another Mary.

In 1735 John McDaniel/MacDonalds father turned back his Irish government land and moved to Big Springs, Cumberland County, PA. John was about age 16 he returned to Mill Creek about 1740 and married Mary and stayed there to be near Mary's family. Between the years of 1763 and 1767 John & Mary moved to Brock's Gap on the Shanandoa River in Augusta Co., Virginia. They stayed there until sometime between the years 1769 and 1772 when they moved to Chadville, Georges Twp., Fayette County, PA. On this move they had to pass near Big Springs, Newville, Cumberland Co., PA only to find that John's father had died in 1762.