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Boy · Irish
Neal
Say it: NEEL
Meaning
A spelling of Neil, from Irish Niall, whose meaning is uncertain ('champion' and 'cloud' have been proposed).
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
An English spelling used since the Middle Ages, and in the US mostly from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1950s
In the United States
- 54,820 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1952, about 1 in 1,700 boys
- 103 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Neil, Niall
Famous bearers
- Neal Cassady, American Beat figure
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.