US rank #1991 Boys' name Peak 1959 54,960 births

Neal — #1991 US boys' name

54,960 babies named Neal in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3611890s3731900s4561910s19431920s38581930s40831940s61581950s107331960s93601970s60111980s54261990s31432000s13692010s11902020s496
#1991
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 86% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Neal was born in this single decade.

1959
Single peak year

1,223 babies were named Neal in 1959 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Neal

The Social Security Administration has registered 54,960 babies named Neal between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Neal currently holds the #1991 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1959, when 1,223 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Neal performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 10,733 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Neal shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 4,682 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Neal in 50 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Neal in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 54,960 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Neal at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

54,960

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1959

1,223 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#1,991

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Neal popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1959)
1,223
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 43

Neal popularity over time — girls

257 total births recorded since 1901 (Neal as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 257 births
468101214 198619671950193619291924191819121901 5

Neal by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
10,733 births that decade — 20% of Neal's all-time total
1880s3611890s3731900s4561910s19431920s38581930s40831940s61581950s107331960s93601970s60111980s54261990s31432000s13692010s11902020s496

Neal by state

Where Neal concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Neal
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
4,682 8.5%
#2 California
3,979 7.2%
#3 Illinois
3,041 5.5%
#4 Pennsylvania
2,775 5.0%
#5 Ohio
2,678 4.9%
#6 Texas
2,619 4.8%
#7 Michigan
1,862 3.4%
#8 Massachusetts
1,700 3.1%
New York share of Neal's total US births 8.5%
Even split

4,682 of 54,960 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.

Neal appears in 50 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Neal?
54,960 babies have been named Neal since 1880. It currently ranks #1991 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 1,223 births.
When was Neal most popular?
Neal was most popular in the 1950s decade with 10,733 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Neal most popular?
The top states for the name Neal are New York (4,682 births), California (3,979 births), Illinois (3,041 births).
How long has the name Neal been used?
Neal has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Neal?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Neale, Neamiah, Nealy, Neaven, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.