Total births
104,869
Boys' name · since 1880
Neil
Neil has 104,869 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1954 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #863
- among boys today
- 104,869
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Neil currently ranks #863 among boys' names in America, with 104,869 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Neil has been recorded 104,869 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #863 nationally and more common than 94% 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.
- #863 among boys today
- 104,869 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Neil is currently the #863 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 104,869 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #863
- among boys today
- 104,869
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Neil vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#863
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Neil was born in this single decade.
1954
Single peak year
1,959 babies were named Neil in 1954 - its busiest year on record.
How Neil compares
104,869 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Neil's all-time total is 286x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Neil | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 104,869 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,959 | 23 | 22,252 |
Neil's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Neil's full recorded timeline at 1953, 65% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 35% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1954 peak of 1,959 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Neil at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1954
Current rank
#863
Active since
1880
Neil popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1954)
- 1,959
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Neil popularity over time - girls
385 total births recorded since 1916 (Neil as girls' name)
Neil by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Neil's strongest decade.
17,715 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Neil births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 217
1880s
217 births
- 1890s 313
1890s
313 births
- 1900s 398
1900s
398 births
- 1910s 2,424
1910s
2,424 births
- 1920s 5,688
1920s
5,688 births
- 1930s
1930s
9,466 births
- 1940s
1940s
12,427 births
- 1950s
1950s
17,715 births
- 1960s
1960s
13,668 births
- 1970s
1970s
14,040 births
- 1980s
1980s
11,833 births
- 1990s 6,987
1990s
6,987 births
- 2000s 3,814
2000s
3,814 births
- 2010s 3,992
2010s
3,992 births
- 2020s 1,887
2020s
1,887 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 17,715 births (17% of all-time use).
How Neil 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 Neil's total volume
Neil vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Neil by state
Where Neil concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 14,195 | 13.5% |
| #2 | California | | 8,975 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 6,593 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 5,523 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 5,376 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 5,050 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 4,534 | 4.3% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 4,279 | 4.1% |
New York share of Neil's total US births 13.5%
Even split
14,195 of 104,869 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Neil appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Neil? ▼
Neil has been given to 104,869 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #863 as of the latest data. 1,959 babies were born in 1954, its single highest year.
When was Neil most popular? ▼
Neil was most popular in the 1950s decade with 17,715 total births. The single peak year was 1954.
Where is Neil most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Neil are New York (14,195 births), California (8,975 births), Pennsylvania (6,593 births).
How long has the name Neil been used? ▼
Neil has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Neil? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Neill, Neithan, Neiko, Neizan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Neil's data
- Neil's decade-level peak was the 1950s (17,715 total births); usage has since declined to 1,887 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Neils (14,195 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 Neil
Nearby Names Like Neil
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Neil
Neill Boy
1,834 births
Neithan Boy
#1381 906 births
Neiko Boy
#4974 797 births
Neizan Boy
#1984 486 births
Neiman Boy
320 births
Compare Neil side by side: Neil vs Neill Neil vs Neithan Neil vs Neiko
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Neil
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. "Neil: #863 Boys' Name - 104,869 Births, Peak 1954." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/neil. 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 Neil 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.