Nehal
Origin uncertain, possibly Sanskrit; meaning beautiful, fresh, radiant.
Name Census estimates that about 268 living Americans carry the first name Nehal. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Nehal today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nehal births was 2011 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nehal. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Nehal with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
268
~ 1 in 1,278,934 Americans
Peak year
2011
20 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,737
Tracked since 1973
Census
Nehal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,118 people with the first name Nehal, which placed it at #11,449 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
#11,449
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,118 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
78.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nehal
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nehal is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Black (2.1%). 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 Nehal 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 Nehal at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.7% · 880
- White17.4% · 195
- Black or African American2.1% · 23
- Two or more races1.6% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Nehal
Nehal is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 274 total registrations, 77 (28.1%) were male and 197 (71.9%) were female.
Nehal as a male name
- Ranked #11,737 in 2018
- 6 male births in 2018
- Peak: 2002 (9 births)
Nehal as a female name
- Ranked #11,882 in 2023
- 8 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2011 (15 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nehal on both sides of the split. Of the 1,115 people counted with this name, 360 were male (32.3%) and 755 were female (67.7%).
Popularity
Nehal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nehal from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 79 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nehal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nehal 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 Nehal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nehal
The name Nehal is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has been a prominent part of the Indian subcontinent's cultural and linguistic heritage for thousands of years. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "nihala," which means "mist" or "dew."
In ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, the word "nihala" is often used to symbolize freshness, purity, and the rejuvenating qualities of nature. It is associated with the early morning hours when the dew settles on the grass and flowers, evoking a sense of tranquility and renewal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Nehal can be traced back to ancient Indian texts and manuscripts dating back to the 5th century BCE. During this time, the name was often given to children born during the monsoon season or in regions known for their lush, verdant landscapes.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Nehal was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 7th century CE. His works, which included poetry and literary critiques, were widely celebrated and contributed to the rich tapestry of Indian literature.
In the 12th century, a Rajput warrior named Nehal Singh was renowned for his bravery and military prowess. He played a significant role in defending the Rajput kingdoms against invading forces and is remembered as a symbol of valor and loyalty.
During the Mughal era in India, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, the name Nehal gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy. One notable figure was Nehal Begum, a princess renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and patronage of the arts.
In more recent times, the name Nehal has been carried by several prominent individuals, including Nehal Karim, a renowned Pakistani artist and sculptor who was born in 1939 and is known for his intricate and thought-provoking works.
Another notable figure is Nehal Chudasama, an Indian cricket player who was born in 1973 and represented the Indian national team in the late 1990s and early 2000s, known for his aggressive batting style and fielding skills.
Nehal Hashmi, a Pakistani politician and lawyer born in 1949, has served as a member of the National Assembly and held various ministerial positions, advocating for human rights and democratic reforms.
Overall, the name Nehal carries a rich cultural heritage rooted in the ancient languages and traditions of the Indian subcontinent, evoking images of freshness, purity, and the rejuvenating power of nature.
People
Nehal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nehal 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
Nehal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nehal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 268 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nehal 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 1,278,934 US residents.
Is Nehal a common name?
We classify Nehal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 274 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nehal most popular?
The single biggest year for Nehal was 2011, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nehal is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nehal in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,118 people with the name Nehal, or 0.37 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,449 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 Nehal 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 Nehal?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nehal on both sides of the split. Of the 1,115 people counted with this name, 360 were male (32.3%) and 755 were female (67.7%). 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 Nehal?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nehal is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Black (2.1%). 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 Nehal most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nehal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (880 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 Nehal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nehal a female name?
Yes, 71.9% of people registered as Nehal in the SSA data are female. 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 Nehal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nehal 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 Nehal 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 Americans are named Nehal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.