Neill
A Celtic masculine name derived from the Gaelic words for "champion" or "cloud".
Name Census estimates that about 1,194 living Americans carry the first name Neill. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Neill today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Neill births was 1950 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Neill. 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.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 287,064 Americans
Peak year
1950
36 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,463
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Neill: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Neill from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 282 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Neill 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 Neill during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Neills live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. North Carolina, New York, California recorded the most babies named Neill, while Illinois, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Neill
The name Neill has its origins in the Gaelic language and culture. It is derived from the ancient Irish word "niall," which means "champion" or "cloud." This name was particularly popular in Ireland and Scotland during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neill can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. This text mentions several figures named Neill, including Neill Caille, who was the King of Ui Maine in the 7th century.
In the 9th century, the Annals of the Four Masters, another important Irish historical text, records the exploits of Neill Calnene, the High King of Ireland from 833 to 856 AD. This Neill was known for his military campaigns against the Viking invaders.
The name Neill also appears in Scottish history, with one notable figure being Neill Campbell, the 10th Earl of Argyll, who lived from 1433 to 1513. He was a prominent Scottish nobleman and played a significant role in the politics of his time.
In literature, the name Neill is featured in several works, including James Joyce's novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," where one of the characters is named Neill Moran.
Some other notable individuals with the name Neill throughout history include:
1. Neill Armstrong (1920-2012), an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the moon.
2. Neill Blomkamp (born 1979), a South African-Canadian film director known for movies like "District 9" and "Elysium."
3. Neill Buchanan (born 1960), an American actor and comedian known for his role in the TV series "The Nanny."
4. Neill Dennis (born 1943), a Canadian actor and voice artist, best known for his work in animated series like "X-Men" and "Dragonball Z."
5. Neill Marriott (1918-2001), a British actor and playwright, known for his work in theater and television.
Overall, the name Neill has a rich history that spans various cultures and time periods, with its roots firmly planted in the ancient Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland.
People
Neill + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Neill 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
Neill: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Neill?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,194 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Neill 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 287,064 US residents.
Is Neill a common name?
We classify Neill as "Rare". It ranks above 91.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,834 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Neill most popular?
The single biggest year for Neill was 1950, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Neill is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Neill a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Neill 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.
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.