Neil
Feminine
Neil is given to boys far more often — 104,869 boys against 385 girls since 1880. See Neil as a boy name
Neil entered the US charts in 1916, peaked at #3109 in 1933, is rarely given in 2025 — given to only a few children a year.
How old is the name Neil?
Neil first appears in US birth records in 1916 — 109 years ago. The typical Neil alive today was born around 1968, making them about 57 years old. About 300 people named Neil are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Neil most popular?
Neil peaked in 1933, reaching #3109 nationally. See the whole 1933 chart.
Where it comes from
From Niall to Neil
The story of Neil
The name begins as Niall in early Ireland, where tradition assigns it to Niall Noígíallach — Niall of the Nine Hostages — the high king from whom several medieval Irish dynasties claimed descent. Norse settlers in Ireland took the name home with them, and it appears in Icelandic as Njáll, the name at the center of the thirteenth-century Njáls saga. Anglo-Normans latinized it as Nigellus, which is where English Nigel comes from; the Irish and Scottish Gaelic Niall was meanwhile anglicized more directly as Neil, Neal and Neill. Scotland, especially the Gaelic-speaking Highlands and the islands, kept it in heavy use, and Scottish and Irish emigration carried it across the Atlantic.
Meaningscholars disagree
most often read as "champion" or "cloud"
The Old Irish name Niall has never been pinned down. Scholars have connected it to a word for cloud, to a root meaning champion or passionate, and to the sense of a chief or leader. None of the three has won the argument, and Irish name dictionaries still list them side by side.
How the name formed
- Niall
- Njáll
- Nigellus
- Nigel
- Neil
Related forms: Niall · Niall · Neal · Neill · Nigel · Njáll
Pronouncing Neil
NEEL
Rhymes with heel. Neal and Neill are said exactly the same way; the Irish spelling Niall is usually NEE-al or NYE-al, which is the one confusion worth knowing about.
Nicknames for Neil
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1916
- Most girls named
- 197014 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3109reached in 1933
- Change vs 1989
- −44.4%5 in 1990, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Neil in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Niall in Irish — same name
- Niall in Scottish Gaelic — same name
- Neal in English — spelling variant
- Neill in English — spelling variant
- Nigel in English — related form
- Njáll in Icelandic — related form
Neils among us
people named Neil are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Neil sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
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Neil
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Neils are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Neil are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Neil in 2025?
- Neil is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Neil with classmates?
- Neil will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More N names
The most-given names starting with N, all years combined.
Nancy#965 · Nicole#382 · Natalie#89 · Norma#2002 · Nora#20 · Naomi#47 · Nellie#533 · Nina#324
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Neil? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Neil and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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