Niall
Masculine · “champion”
Niall is the Irish behind Neil, and the man who carried it fathered a dynasty — Niall of the Nine Hostages, whose Y-chromosome is carried by millions today.
How old is the name Niall?
Niall first appears in US birth records in 1955 — 70 years ago. The typical Niall is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,000 people named Niall are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Niall most popular?
Niall peaked in 2024, reaching #1573 nationally. Today it ranks #1699, 126 places below that high. See the whole 2024 chart.
Niall appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Niall to Niall
The story of Niall
Niall Noígíallach — of the Nine Hostages — was a fifth-century high king and the ancestor of the Uí Néill, who dominated Ireland for six centuries. A 2006 genetic study found a Y-chromosome signature consistent with his descent in a large share of men from north-west Ireland. The name is in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
champion; cloud
From the Irish Niall, of genuinely disputed origin. Proposals include a word for a champion, one for a cloud, and one meaning 'passionate'. None is established. The name is older than any etymology offered for it, which is often the case with the earliest Irish names.
How the name formed
- Niall
- Neil
Related forms: Niall · Neil · Njáll
Pronouncing Niall
NYE-ul
Two syllables in Ireland, close to one in fast speech. Many English speakers say NEEL, following the anglicized Neil.
Nicknames for Niall
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
- 1955
- Most boys named
- 2024110 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1573reached in 2024
- Change vs 2024
- −12.7%96 in 2025, from 110
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.
Niall in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Niall in Irish — same name
- Neil in English — related form
- Njáll in Norse — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, California, Pennsylvania.
Nialls among us
people named Niall are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 17,792 born in 2025 was named Niall
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Pieter test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Niall's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Pieter climbed just as high around 1967, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Pieter's path sketches the road Niall is walking now.
Niall is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Niall is headed
Niall looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 20% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Niall beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Niall in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A fifth-century high king with a documented genetic legacy stands behind it.
- It is authentically Irish rather than an anglicization.
- Neil is available as an easier alternative on the page.
- The meaning is genuinely unrecovered, and honest sources say so.
- English speakers will say NEEL rather than the Irish NYE-ul.
- The spelling will need explaining constantly.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Niall
Masculine · #1699 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nialls are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Niall are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Niall in 2025?
- Niall ranks #1699 among US boy names in 2025, with 96 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Niall?
- About 1 in every 17,792 US boys born in 2025 was named Niall — 96 in all.
- Will my child share the name Niall with classmates?
- Niall will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Niall
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ghaith#1699 · Judd#1699 · Aviraj#1699 · Chad#1699 · Levy#1699 · Avian#1699 · Josh#1699 · Ramir#1699
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Niall? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Niall and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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