Neil
Neil was given to 288 boys in 2025, #851 among boys’ names; 105,254 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 69,700 Americans named Neil and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (66% of everyone recorded); the median is 52 years old and half are between 38 and 67.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Neil by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Neil mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Neil is “a male given name from Irish.”
Anglicized form of Goidelic/Irish Niall. Doublet of Niall.
/niːl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Neil?
#851 among boys’ names, 2025
Neil fell from #641 in 2015 to #851 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.22 to 0.17 per 1,000.
1,964 babies in 1954, the peak
Neil peaked in 1954, when 1,964 babies were given it (1,959 boys, #147 among boys’ names). The 288 births of 2025 are 15% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 288 | #851 | 0.17 |
| 2024 | 280 | #865 | 0.16 |
| 2023 | 305 | #806 | 0.18 |
| 2022 | 330 | #766 | 0.19 |
| 2021 | 360 | #719 | 0.21 |
| 2020 | 324 | #751 | 0.19 |
| 2019 | 422 | #639 | 0.24 |
| 2018 | 427 | #625 | 0.24 |
| 2017 | 422 | #618 | 0.23 |
| 2016 | 425 | #629 | 0.22 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 414 | #641 | 0.22 |
| 2014 | 397 | #656 | 0.21 |
| 2013 | 394 | #624 | 0.21 |
| 2012 | 391 | #622 | 0.21 |
| 2011 | 358 | #660 | 0.19 |
| 2010 | 342 | #687 | 0.18 |
| 2009 | 396 | #632 | 0.20 |
| 2008 | 327 | #713 | 0.16 |
| 2007 | 305 | #741 | 0.15 |
| 2006 | 398 | #605 | 0.19 |
| 2005 | 380 | #595 | 0.19 |
| 2004 | 338 | #626 | 0.17 |
| 2003 | 384 | #575 | 0.19 |
| 2002 | 381 | #574 | 0.20 |
| 2001 | 443 | #512 | 0.23 |
| 2000 | 462 | #495 | 0.24 |
| 1999 | 490 | #465 | 0.26 |
| 1998 | 489 | #460 | 0.26 |
| 1997 | 526 | #430 | 0.28 |
| 1996 | 579 | #404 | 0.31 |
| 1995 | 678 | #357 | 0.36 |
| 1994 | 704 | #349 | 0.36 |
| 1993 | 784 | #326 | 0.40 |
| 1992 | 791 | #322 | 0.40 |
| 1991 | 918 | #283 | 0.45 |
| 1990 | 1,028 | #261 | 0.50 |
| 1989 | 1,027 | #252 | 0.51 |
| 1988 | 999 | #240 | 0.52 |
| 1987 | 1,078 | #222 | 0.58 |
| 1986 | 1,152 | #211 | 0.63 |
| 1985 | 1,206 | #202 | 0.65 |
| 1984 | 1,125 | #205 | 0.62 |
| 1983 | 1,226 | #195 | 0.68 |
| 1982 | 1,342 | #188 | 0.74 |
| 1981 | 1,330 | #188 | 0.74 |
| 1980 | 1,348 | #181 | 0.76 |
| 1979 | 1,486 | #165 | 0.86 |
| 1978 | 1,527 | #159 | 0.93 |
| 1977 | 1,429 | #169 | 0.87 |
| 1976 | 1,354 | #173 | 0.86 |
| 1975 | 1,331 | #174 | 0.85 |
| 1974 | 1,323 | #175 | 0.84 |
| 1973 | 1,297 | #182 | 0.83 |
| 1972 | 1,304 | #185 | 0.80 |
| 1971 | 1,422 | #182 | 0.80 |
| 1970 | 1,567 | #178 | 0.84 |
| 1969 | 1,680 | #164 | 0.94 |
| 1968 | 1,049 | #218 | 0.60 |
| 1967 | 1,155 | #200 | 0.66 |
| 1966 | 1,227 | #198 | 0.69 |
| 1965 | 1,321 | #192 | 0.71 |
| 1964 | 1,527 | #182 | 0.77 |
| 1963 | 1,448 | #205 | 0.71 |
| 1962 | 1,291 | #214 | 0.62 |
| 1961 | 1,524 | #196 | 0.72 |
| 1960 | 1,446 | #199 | 0.68 |
| 1959 | 1,632 | #185 | 0.76 |
| 1958 | 1,711 | #174 | 0.81 |
| 1957 | 1,676 | #181 | 0.78 |
| 1956 | 1,747 | #171 | 0.83 |
| 1955 | 1,785 | #159 | 0.87 |
| 1954 | 1,959 | #147 | 1.0 |
| 1953 | 1,937 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1952 | 1,904 | #147 | 1.0 |
| 1951 | 1,755 | #149 | 0.93 |
| 1950 | 1,609 | #156 | 0.90 |
| 1949 | 1,471 | #161 | 0.83 |
| 1948 | 1,406 | #165 | 0.80 |
| 1947 | 1,460 | #162 | 0.80 |
| 1946 | 1,343 | #161 | 0.83 |
| 1945 | 1,210 | #157 | 0.90 |
| 1944 | 1,140 | #161 | 0.84 |
| 1943 | 1,155 | #162 | 0.81 |
| 1942 | 1,101 | #160 | 0.80 |
| 1941 | 1,074 | #161 | 0.87 |
| 1940 | 1,067 | #156 | 0.92 |
| 1939 | 1,068 | #152 | 1.0 |
| 1938 | 1,066 | #152 | 1.0 |
| 1937 | 969 | #157 | 0.91 |
| 1936 | 913 | #158 | 0.88 |
| 1935 | 858 | #167 | 0.82 |
| 1934 | 953 | #153 | 0.92 |
| 1933 | 997 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1932 | 934 | #162 | 0.89 |
| 1931 | 881 | #165 | 0.85 |
| 1930 | 827 | #175 | 0.75 |
| 1929 | 696 | #196 | 0.65 |
| 1928 | 696 | #198 | 0.63 |
| 1927 | 609 | #221 | 0.54 |
| 1926 | 600 | #225 | 0.54 |
| 1925 | 563 | #234 | 0.50 |
| 1924 | 541 | #249 | 0.48 |
| 1923 | 508 | #248 | 0.46 |
| 1922 | 489 | #255 | 0.45 |
| 1921 | 497 | #252 | 0.45 |
| 1920 | 489 | #247 | 0.46 |
| 1919 | 366 | #275 | 0.37 |
| 1918 | 359 | #285 | 0.35 |
| 1917 | 356 | #270 | 0.38 |
| 1916 | 375 | #256 | 0.42 |
| 1915 | 289 | #297 | 0.34 |
| 1914 | 232 | #296 | 0.35 |
| 1913 | 184 | #294 | 0.36 |
| 1912 | 151 | #292 | 0.35 |
| 1911 | 58 | #366 | 0.26 |
| 1910 | 54 | #343 | 0.28 |
| 1909 | 43 | #363 | 0.26 |
| 1908 | 55 | #295 | 0.36 |
| 1907 | 42 | #329 | 0.29 |
| 1906 | 37 | #343 | 0.28 |
| 1905 | 42 | #313 | 0.32 |
| 1904 | 41 | #310 | 0.32 |
| 1903 | 28 | #364 | 0.23 |
| 1902 | 28 | #377 | 0.23 |
| 1901 | 32 | #315 | 0.30 |
| 1900 | 50 | #292 | 0.33 |
| 1899 | 26 | #358 | 0.24 |
| 1898 | 35 | #328 | 0.29 |
| 1897 | 26 | #372 | 0.23 |
| 1896 | 47 | #264 | 0.39 |
| 1895 | 31 | #336 | 0.26 |
| 1894 | 30 | #329 | 0.26 |
| 1893 | 28 | #338 | 0.25 |
| 1892 | 36 | #310 | 0.29 |
| 1891 | 25 | #345 | 0.25 |
| 1890 | 29 | #324 | 0.26 |
| 1889 | 28 | #335 | 0.25 |
| 1888 | 23 | #394 | 0.19 |
| 1887 | 21 | #365 | 0.21 |
| 1886 | 24 | #354 | 0.22 |
| 1885 | 26 | #341 | 0.24 |
| 1884 | 23 | #371 | 0.20 |
| 1883 | 23 | #351 | 0.22 |
| 1882 | 19 | #421 | 0.17 |
| 1881 | 6 | #839 | 0.06 |
| 1880 | 24 | #354 | 0.22 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Neil a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Neil has been given almost only to boys: 385 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Neil: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Neil, and how old are they?
69,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 66% of the 105,254 Americans ever recorded as Neil. The median Neil alive today is 52 years old; half are between 38 and 67.
The 2020 Census counted 81,118 people named Neil (199 women and girls, 80,919 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 74,515 born in the U.S. The Census count is 9% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 3,740 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 20,300 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 19,400 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 15,200 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 6,300 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,750 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Neil born?
The states with the most babies named Neil are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 30% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 14,195 | #831 | 1.7× |
| California | 8,975 | #727 | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 6,593 | #897 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 5,523 | #781 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 5,376 | #848 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 5,050 | #627 | 1.2× |
| Massachusetts | 4,534 | #603 | 1.5× |
| New Jersey | 4,279 | #462 | 1.4× |
| Minnesota | 3,438 | #779 | 1.6× |
| Wisconsin | 3,170 | #607 | 1.3× |
Where Neil is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Neil is most over-represented in North Dakota: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Neil with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 166,705 babies since 1880, Neil is the most given (63% of them). In 2025 it was given to 288 of their 478 babies (60%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Neil
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Neil and names like it
- Compare Neil and NealBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sNeil peaked in 1954.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Neil since 1910.
- Irish namesWiktionary’s origin for Neil: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1954The year the most babies were named Neil.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Neil alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with NMost given first.