Boy nameCurrently #863 in the USFalling
Neil
NEEL//niːl//
1 syllablePeak year: 19544 lettersStarts with N
Meaning & origin
Champion, cloud
Neil comes from the Irish Niall, whose meaning has been debated between 'champion' and 'cloud', and was borne by the legendary High King Niall of the Nine Hostages. Short and dignified, it remains a familiar classic.
Neil's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Neil |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 24 |
| 1881 | 6 |
| 1882 | 19 |
| 1883 | 23 |
| 1884 | 23 |
| 1885 | 26 |
| 1886 | 24 |
| 1887 | 21 |
| 1888 | 23 |
| 1889 | 28 |
| 1890 | 29 |
| 1891 | 25 |
| 1892 | 36 |
| 1893 | 28 |
| 1894 | 30 |
| 1895 | 31 |
| 1896 | 47 |
| 1897 | 26 |
| 1898 | 35 |
| 1899 | 26 |
| 1900 | 50 |
| 1901 | 32 |
| 1902 | 28 |
| 1903 | 28 |
| 1904 | 41 |
| 1905 | 42 |
| 1906 | 37 |
| 1907 | 42 |
| 1908 | 55 |
| 1909 | 43 |
| 1910 | 54 |
| 1911 | 58 |
| 1912 | 151 |
| 1913 | 184 |
| 1914 | 232 |
| 1915 | 289 |
| 1916 | 380 |
| 1917 | 356 |
| 1918 | 367 |
| 1919 | 366 |
| 1920 | 497 |
| 1921 | 503 |
| 1922 | 495 |
| 1923 | 508 |
| 1924 | 547 |
| 1925 | 568 |
| 1926 | 607 |
| 1927 | 609 |
| 1928 | 702 |
| 1929 | 703 |
| 1930 | 833 |
| 1931 | 888 |
| 1932 | 940 |
| 1933 | 1,005 |
| 1934 | 960 |
| 1935 | 858 |
| 1936 | 913 |
| 1937 | 975 |
| 1938 | 1,066 |
| 1939 | 1,076 |
| 1940 | 1,067 |
| 1941 | 1,075 |
| 1942 | 1,106 |
| 1943 | 1,154 |
| 1944 | 1,140 |
| 1945 | 1,215 |
| 1946 | 1,343 |
| 1947 | 1,460 |
| 1948 | 1,413 |
| 1949 | 1,471 |
| 1950 | 1,609 |
| 1951 | 1,762 |
| 1952 | 1,911 |
| 1953 | 1,946 |
| 1954 | 1,964 |
| 1955 | 1,790 |
| 1956 | 1,752 |
| 1957 | 1,684 |
| 1958 | 1,718 |
| 1959 | 1,638 |
| 1960 | 1,446 |
| 1961 | 1,525 |
| 1962 | 1,291 |
| 1963 | 1,446 |
| 1964 | 1,535 |
| 1965 | 1,320 |
| 1966 | 1,227 |
| 1967 | 1,155 |
| 1968 | 1,055 |
| 1969 | 1,691 |
| 1970 | 1,580 |
| 1971 | 1,429 |
| 1972 | 1,311 |
| 1973 | 1,303 |
| 1974 | 1,329 |
| 1975 | 1,342 |
| 1976 | 1,362 |
| 1977 | 1,435 |
| 1978 | 1,537 |
| 1979 | 1,491 |
| 1980 | 1,360 |
| 1981 | 1,343 |
| 1982 | 1,352 |
| 1983 | 1,238 |
| 1984 | 1,131 |
| 1985 | 1,217 |
| 1986 | 1,159 |
| 1987 | 1,084 |
| 1988 | 1,006 |
| 1989 | 1,036 |
| 1990 | 1,034 |
| 1991 | 918 |
| 1992 | 791 |
| 1993 | 784 |
| 1994 | 704 |
| 1995 | 678 |
| 1996 | 579 |
| 1997 | 526 |
| 1998 | 489 |
| 1999 | 490 |
| 2000 | 462 |
| 2001 | 443 |
| 2002 | 381 |
| 2003 | 384 |
| 2004 | 338 |
| 2005 | 380 |
| 2006 | 398 |
| 2007 | 305 |
| 2008 | 327 |
| 2009 | 396 |
| 2010 | 342 |
| 2011 | 358 |
| 2012 | 391 |
| 2013 | 394 |
| 2014 | 397 |
| 2015 | 414 |
| 2016 | 425 |
| 2017 | 422 |
| 2018 | 425 |
| 2019 | 422 |
| 2020 | 324 |
| 2021 | 360 |
| 2022 | 330 |
| 2023 | 305 |
| 2024 | 278 |
Neil through the decades
- Neil peaked in 1954, when 1,964 babies were named Neil in the US.
- Neil currently ranks #863 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Neil
Variants & spellings
NiallNeal
Famous people named Neil
- Neil Armstrong — astronaut