Boys' name · since 1913
Niel
Niel has 1,384 recorded births since 1913 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1958 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,188 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,085 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,384
- born since 1913
- 1950s
- peak decade
Niel currently ranks #12085 among boys' names in America, with 1,384 babies recorded since 1913.
Niel has 1,384 recorded births among boys since 1913, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12085 as of the latest data, more common than 13% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1913 to 2025.
- #4,188 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,085 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,384 born since 1913
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Niel ranks #4,188 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,085 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,384 born since 1913, peaking in the 1950s.
- #4,188 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,085 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,384
- born since 1913
- 1950s
- peak decade
Niel's 1,384 recorded births place it above 90.79% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Niel compares
1,384 Top 27% higher than 73% of 13,930 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
Niel's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Niel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,384 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 26 | 34 | 22,252 |
Niel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Niel's full recorded timeline at 1967, 40% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 60% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2004, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1958 peak of 26 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Niel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1913–2025
- Peak year (1958)
- 26
- Annual births at peak, across 113 years of records
Niel by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (213 births, 15% of the file).
1950s was Niel's strongest decade.
213 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Niel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 58
1910s
58 births
- 1920s
1920s
109 births
- 1930s
1930s
154 births
- 1940s
1940s
169 births
- 1950s
1950s
213 births
- 1960s
1960s
168 births
- 1970s
1970s
136 births
- 1980s
1980s
129 births
- 1990s
1990s
86 births
- 2000s 73
2000s
73 births
- 2010s 61
2010s
61 births
- 2020s 28
2020s
28 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 213 births (15% of all-time use).
How Niel 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 Niel's total volume
Niel by state
Where Niel concentrates geographically, total births since 1913
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 24 | 1.7% |
| #2 | California | | 10 | 0.7% |
| #3 | Wisconsin | | 5 | 0.4% |
24 of 1,384 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Niel's data
- Niel's decade-level peak was the 1950s (213 total births); usage has since declined to 28 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Niels (24 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Niel
Nearby Names Like Niel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Niel
Compare Niel side by side: Niel vs Niels Niel vs Nieves Niel vs Nieko
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Niel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Niel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1958)
Similar record span (~112 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1913–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Niel 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 August 2026.