Neal first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Neal has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Neal

A diminutive form of the English name Nigel, derived from the Irish Niall meaning "champion".

Popularity of Neal by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Neal is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 100% of people named Neal being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 95 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Neal.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 95 0
2022 108 0
2021 110 0
2020 104 0
2019 118 0
2018 102 0
2017 131 0
2016 152 0
2015 151 0
2014 120 0
2013 99 0
2012 105 0
2011 97 0
2010 114 0
2009 113 0
2008 111 0
2007 116 0
2006 138 0
2005 131 0
2004 111 0
2003 129 0
2002 169 0
2001 172 0
2000 178 0
1999 186 0
1998 209 0
1997 246 0
1996 262 0
1995 258 0
1994 294 0
1993 384 0
1992 396 0
1991 444 0
1990 463 0
1989 522 0
1988 459 0
1987 456 0
1986 543 5
1985 562 0
1984 565 0
1983 573 5
1982 556 0
1981 597 0
1980 592 0
1979 636 6
1978 583 0
1977 624 0
1976 550 5
1975 648 0
1974 583 7

The history of the first name Neal

The name Neal is an English given name derived from the Old English words "ne" meaning "near" and "hillan" meaning "hill". It was originally a surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or an elevated location.

In the 12th century, the name appeared in the form "Nealle" in the Domesday Book, which was a manuscript record of the great survey of England commissioned by King William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was in use among the Anglo-Saxons before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The earliest recorded use of Neal as a first name dates back to the late 13th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Neal of Radcliffe, a 14th-century English landowner and knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

In the 16th century, the name gained popularity among Irish families, particularly in County Mayo. The Irish form of the name, "Niall" or "Niallgus", is derived from the Gaelic words "nia" meaning "champion" and "gus" meaning "vigor" or "strength".

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Neal. These include Neal Cassidy (1926-1968), an American writer and famous figure in the Beat Generation literary movement; Neal Morse (born 1960), an American progressive rock musician; Neal Stephenson (born 1959), an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction; Neal Shusterman (born 1962), an American writer of children's and young adult literature; and Neal Peart (1952-2020), the acclaimed Canadian drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Neal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Neal, please contact us.

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"Neal first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/neal-meaning-and-history/.

"Neal first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/neal-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Neal first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/neal-meaning-and-history/.

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