Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Neil?
Births per year, rank history and how many Neils are alive today.
Neil (male), once a common boys' name, is now an uncommon choice for new babies in England and Wales, ranked 914th in 2025 with 34 given the name. This spelling of the name peaked in 1964, when around 6,300 babies were given the name, the 22nd most popular that year. It has declined since 1964; the 2025 figure is roughly 1% of its peak. Numbers have been rising in recent years. At least 150,000 babies have been named Neil in England and Wales since 1934. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Neil is one spelling of a name also recorded as Neel; the combined figures below cover every spelling.
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 Neil each year?
Includes all spellings: Neil, Neel. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does the Neil spelling rank?
Where does the Neel 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 Neil most popular?
Neil peaked in 1964, when around 6,300 babies in England and Wales were given the name across all spellings.
How many people are called Neil?
At least 140,000 people named Neil in any spelling born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Neil?
Most living Neils are between 49 and 63; the most common age is about 61.
Is Neil becoming more or less popular?
Rising: numbers have been climbing in recent years.