Boys' name · since 1929
Nigel
Since 1929, U.S. Social Security records show 12,286 babies named Nigel, peaking in 1994. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,072 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,083 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,286
- born since 1929
- 1990s
- peak decade
12,286 babies have been named Nigel since 1929, making it today's #2083 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Nigel recorded 12,286 times among boys since 1929, holding rank #2083 nationally today, ahead of 85% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1929 to 2025.
- #1,072 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,083 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 12,286 born since 1929
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nigel ranks #1,072 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,083 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 12,286 born since 1929, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1,072 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,083 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,286
- born since 1929
- 1990s
- peak decade
Nigel's 12,286 recorded births place it above 97.64% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
35 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Nigel compares
12,286 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Nigel's all-time total is 33x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nigel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,286 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 448 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nigel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nigel's full recorded timeline at 1984, 81% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 19% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1936, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1994 peak of 448 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nigel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1929–2025
- Peak year (1994)
- 448
- Annual births at peak, across 97 years of records
Nigel popularity over time - girls
85 total births recorded since 1915 (Nigel as girls' name)
Nigel by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (3,791 births, 31% of the file).
1990s was Nigel's strongest decade.
3,791 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Nigel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 6
1920s
6 births
- 1930s 12
1930s
12 births
- 1940s 34
1940s
34 births
- 1950s 171
1950s
171 births
- 1960s 317
1960s
317 births
- 1970s 1,088
1970s
1,088 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,952 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,791 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,845 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,615 births
- 2020s 455
2020s
455 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 3,791 births (31% of all-time use).
How Nigel 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 Nigel's total volume
Nigel by state
Where Nigel concentrates geographically, total births since 1929
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,533 | 12.5% |
| #2 | California | | 1,132 | 9.2% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 681 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Florida | | 626 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Texas | | 560 | 4.6% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 488 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 437 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 370 | 3.0% |
1,533 of 12,286 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Nigel appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nigel? ▼
Where does Nigel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nigel most popular? ▼
Where is Nigel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nigel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nigel? ▼
What to do with Nigel's data
- Nigel's decade-level peak was the 1990s (3,791 total births); usage has since declined to 455 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Nigels (1,533 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 Nigel
Nearby Names Like Nigel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nigel
Compare Nigel side by side: Nigel vs Niguel Nigel vs Nigil Nigel vs Night
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nigel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nigel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1994)
Similar record span (~96 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, 1929–2025 (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 Nigel 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.