Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Neel?
Births per year, rank history and how many Neels are alive today.
Neel (male) is a rare spelling of the boys' name Neil in England and Wales, ranked 1466th in 2025 and given to 18 babies. This spelling of the name peaked in 2008, when 34 babies were given the name, the 818th most popular that year.
Across all spellings of the name, the Neil you are most likely to meet is around 61 years old. Half of all Neils born in England and Wales are between 49 and 63, and there are at least 140,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 37% chance that at least one of them will be called Neil.
How many babies are named Neel each year?
Includes all spellings: Neel, Neil. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does the Neel spelling rank?
Where does the Neil spelling rank?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Neel most popular?
The most popular form of the name, Neil, peaked in 1964, when around 6,300 babies in England and Wales were given the name. The Neel spelling itself peaked in 2008, with 34 babies.
How many people are called Neel?
At least 140,000 people named Neel in any spelling born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Neel?
Most living Neels are between 49 and 63; the most common age is about 61.
Is Neel becoming more or less popular?
Rising: numbers have been climbing in recent years.