Boys' name · peaked in 1933
Neil name popularity since 1925
99,339 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Neil. Half of them were born in 1964 or earlier, so the typical Neil is about 62 years old in 2026. Neil peaked in 1933 as the #149 name for boys, and it ranked #851 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 99,339
- Named Neil, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1933
- #149 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #851
- for boys in 2025 (288 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 346 girls · 98,993 boys
- Most popular in
- North Dakota
- 2.53× its national share
Peak year is the year Neil made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Neil births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1954. Measured as a share of all babies, Neil peaked in 1933.
- Fastest rise: Between 1927 and 1932, Neil became 1.7× more common.
- Steepest fall: Between 1993 and 1998, its share of baby boys fell by 36%, from 1 in 2,500 to 1 in 3,910.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Neil's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Neil.
Decade by decade
Babies named Neil in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 25 | 3,164 | – |
| 1930s | 48 | 9,466 | #167 |
| 1940s | 17 | 12,427 | #157 |
| 1950s | 58 | 17,715 | #159 |
| 1960s | 22 | 13,668 | #192 |
| 1970s | 78 | 14,040 | #174 |
| 1980s | 93 | 11,833 | #202 |
| 1990s | 5 | 6,987 | #357 |
| 2000s | 0 | 3,814 | #595 |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,992 | #641 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 1,887 | #851 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
30.9% of babies named Neil from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Neil is most popular
The index compares Neil's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Neil.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 2.53× | 774 |
| South Dakota | 2.06× | 638 |
| Massachusetts | 1.90× | 4,389 |
| New York | 1.87× | 13,775 |
| Vermont | 1.86× | 301 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Neil and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Neil (this page) | 98,993 | 1933 |
| Neill | 1,658 | 1940 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Neil's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Neil.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Neil (1933).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data