Neil: Meaning, origin and popularity

Pronounced NEEL · 1 syllable

Anglicized form of Goidelic/Irish Niall. Doublet of Niall.

How popular is Neil?

Neil was the #850 name in the US in 2025, given to 288 babies. Its use has been fairly steady over the last decade. It peaked around 1950.

Babies named Neil in the US by five-year period, relative to its peak (around 1950).

Half of US adults named Neil are older than 57; most are between 26 and 82. (Estimated from US births by year and life tables.)

Names that real brothers and sisters of people named Neil have, from family records on Wikidata, most common first.

Chosen by the same families or with a similar style and era.

Neil is pronounced NEEL.

Neil was the #850 name in the US in 2025, given to 288 babies. Its use has been fairly steady over the last decade. It peaked around 1950.

Half of US adults named Neil are older than 57. Most are between 26 and 82.