Total births
55,048
Boys' name · since 1880
Neal
Neal has 55,048 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1959 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1997
- among boys today
- 55,048
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other boys
55,048 babies have been named Neal since 1880, making it today's #1997 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Neal has been recorded 55,048 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1997 nationally and more common than 86% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1997 among boys today
- 55,048 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 86% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Neal is currently the #1997 boys' name in America, more common than 86% of boys - 55,048 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1997
- among boys today
- 55,048
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other boys
Neal vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1997
of 14,294 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
1,222 babies were named Neal in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Neal compares
55,048 Top 3% higher than 97% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Neal's all-time total is 150x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Neal | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 55,048 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,222 | 23 | 22,252 |
Neal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Neal's full recorded timeline at 1953, 63% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 37% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 29 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1959 peak of 1,222 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Neal at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1959
Current rank
#1,997
Active since
1880
Neal popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 1,222
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Neal popularity over time - girls
257 total births recorded since 1901 (Neal as girls' name)
Neal by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Neal's strongest decade.
10,735 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Neal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 361
1880s
361 births
- 1890s 373
1890s
373 births
- 1900s 456
1900s
456 births
- 1910s 1,943
1910s
1,943 births
- 1920s 3,858
1920s
3,858 births
- 1930s 4,083
1930s
4,083 births
- 1940s
1940s
6,158 births
- 1950s
1950s
10,735 births
- 1960s
1960s
9,361 births
- 1970s
1970s
6,011 births
- 1980s
1980s
5,426 births
- 1990s 3,143
1990s
3,143 births
- 2000s 1,371
2000s
1,371 births
- 2010s 1,191
2010s
1,191 births
- 2020s 578
2020s
578 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 10,735 births (20% of all-time use).
How Neal compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Neal's total volume
Neal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Neal by state
Where Neal concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 4,693 | 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 | | 2,627 | 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
4,693 of 55,048 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? ▼
Neal has been given to 55,048 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #1997 as of the latest data. 1,222 babies were born in 1959, its single highest year.
When was Neal most popular? ▼
Neal was most popular in the 1950s decade with 10,735 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Neal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Neal are New York (4,693 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 146 years of data through 2025.
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.
What to do with Neal's data
- Neal's decade-level peak was the 1950s (10,735 total births); usage has since declined to 578 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Neals (4,693 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Neal
Nearby Names Like Neal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Neal
Neale Boy
915 births
Neamiah Boy
98 births
Nealy Boy
83 births
Neaven Boy
23 births
Nealon Boy
18 births
Compare Neal side by side: Neal vs Neale Neal vs Neamiah Neal vs Nealy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Neal
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Neal: #1997 Boys' Name - 55,048 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/neal. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Neal draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.