Nebil
A masculine Arabic name meaning "noble" or "distinguished".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Nebil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nebil today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nebil births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nebil. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nebil. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,615
Tracked since 2013
Census
Nebil in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 146 people with the first name Nebil, which placed it at #46,062 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#46,062
National first-name rank
People counted
146
146 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
78.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nebil
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nebil is Black at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Hispanic (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nebil described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nebil at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.1% · 114
- White15.8% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 8
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Popularity
Nebil: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nebil by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nebil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nebil
The name Nebil is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa region. It is derived from the Arabic word "nabeel," which means "noble" or "highborn." The name likely gained prominence during the golden age of Islamic civilization, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Nebil can be found in historical texts from the Abbasid Caliphate, a powerful Islamic empire that ruled vast territories from its capital in Baghdad. During this era, the name Nebil was often bestowed upon individuals of noble birth or those who exhibited admirable qualities such as courage, intelligence, and integrity.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Nebil. One such figure was Nebil ibn Muzahim, a renowned Arab poet who lived in the 8th century CE. His poetic works, which celebrated the virtues of bravery and honor, were highly regarded during his time and have been preserved in various literary anthologies.
Another prominent figure with the name Nebil was Nebil al-Qadariyah, a respected Islamic scholar and theologian from the 9th century. He made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and played a crucial role in shaping the intellectual discourse of his era.
In the 11th century, Nebil al-Farisi gained recognition as a skilled calligrapher and artist. His intricate calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces throughout the Islamic world, showcasing the beauty and elegance of Arabic script.
During the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled Egypt and Syria from the 13th to the 16th century, Nebil ibn Maḥmūd al-Qāhirī was a prominent historian and writer. His chronicles provided valuable insights into the political and cultural landscapes of his time, making him an important figure in the preservation of historical knowledge.
In more recent times, Nebil Shaukat Ali, a Pakistani writer and journalist born in 1938, gained recognition for his literary works and contributions to the field of journalism. His novels and short stories explored themes of social justice and human rights, earning him critical acclaim both within Pakistan and internationally.
While the name Nebil has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and has been adopted by various communities around the world. The name's association with nobility, honor, and admirable qualities has endured throughout the centuries, making it a timeless and meaningful choice for parents.
People
Nebil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nebil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nebil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nebil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nebil going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Nebil a common name?
We classify Nebil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nebil most popular?
The single biggest year for Nebil was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nebil is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nebil in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 146 people with the name Nebil, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,062 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nebil in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nebil?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nebil leans strongly male. 151 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 3 female bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nebil?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nebil is Black at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Hispanic (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nebil most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Nebil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (114 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nebil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nebil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nebil in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nebil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nebil in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nebil can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Nebil?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.