Neil

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Neil: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Neil: Recorded every year since 1952, it reached #30 in 1956, and it stood at #372 in 2025.

5registrars recorded it
163times a registrar ranked it
74years from first to last
#30highest recorded position
31groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Neil's record

Ranked every year since 1952, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 44 years running. Names by top-100 run
Moved 174 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#232
1997	#257
1998	#270
1999	#346
2000	#356
2001	#386
2002	#468
2003	#499
2004	#510
2005	#525
2006	#560
2007	#776
2008	#746
2009	#581
2010	#609
2011	#546
2012	#734
2013	#910
2014	#754
2015	#977
2016	#681
2017	#833
2018	#1610
2019	#974
2020	#1431
2021	#1078
2022	#1084
2023	#929
2024	#968

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in every year from 1964 to 2025.

In 2024: #302 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #968 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 5 national registrars across 5 regions, 1952–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #42 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1979
Highest recorded position: #30 among boys in New Zealand, in 1956 (recorded 1954–1979).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #372 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Neil appears in 5 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, with 62 ranked years and 3,666 births registered; the earliest is New South Wales, Australia · Boys, from 1952.

Neil across 5 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Neil's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#82 (1964)	#55 (1978)	#372 (2025)	62 of 62	3,666 (1964–2025)	180 (1978)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#42 (1952)	#32 (1955)	#98 (1985)	31 of 34	5,615 (1952–1985)	322 (1955)
England and Wales · Boys	#232 (1996)	#232 (1996)	#968 (2024)	29 of 29	1,457 (1996–2024)	132 (1996)
New Zealand · Boys	#40 (1954)	#30 (1956)	#90 (1979)	21 of 26	3,392 (1954–1979)	236 (1956)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#84 (1997)	#84 (1997)	#352 (2022)	20 of 26	207 (1997–2022)	34 (1997)

Neil by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Neil in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	312	6 of 10	52
1970s	1,057	10 of 10	106
1980sbusiest	1,211	10 of 10	121
1990s	623	10 of 10	62
2000s	279	10 of 10	28
2010s	126	10 of 10	13
2020s	58	6 of 10	10

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 1980s were its busiest decade, averaging 121 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1976 and 1977, when recorded births rose by 57, from 100 to 157.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Neil appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #30 in New Zealand in 1956.

Neil's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	male	#968	32	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	male	#929	33	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	male	#1084	26	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#1078	26	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#1431	17	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#974	29	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#1610	15	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#833	38	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#681	51	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#977	30	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#754	42	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#910	32	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#734	45	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#546	64	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#609	54	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#581	56	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#746	39	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#776	35	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#560	52	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#525	51	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#510	51	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#499	48	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#468	46	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#386	61	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#356	67	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#346	70	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#270	103	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#257	112	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#232	132	High	Verified
1985	New South Wales, Australia	male	#98	74	Insufficient	Not yet available
1981	New South Wales, Australia	male	#90	84	Insufficient	Not yet available
1980	New South Wales, Australia	male	#97	73	Insufficient	Not yet available
1979	New South Wales, Australia	male	#93	80	Insufficient	Not yet available
1978	New South Wales, Australia	male	#81	89	Insufficient	Not yet available
1977	New South Wales, Australia	male	#75	109	Insufficient	Not yet available
1976	New South Wales, Australia	male	#86	81	Insufficient	Not yet available
1975	New South Wales, Australia	male	#87	80	Insufficient	Not yet available
1974	New South Wales, Australia	male	#88	83	Insufficient	Not yet available
1973	New South Wales, Australia	male	#81	93	Insufficient	Not yet available
1972	New South Wales, Australia	male	#82	100	Insufficient	Not yet available
1971	New South Wales, Australia	male	#78	113	Insufficient	Not yet available
1970	New South Wales, Australia	male	#71	118	Insufficient	Not yet available
1969	New South Wales, Australia	male	#52	177	Insufficient	Not yet available
1968	New South Wales, Australia	male	#60	143	Insufficient	Not yet available
1967	New South Wales, Australia	male	#58	140	Insufficient	Not yet available
1966	New South Wales, Australia	male	#62	148	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New South Wales, Australia	male	#56	155	Insufficient	Not yet available
1964	New South Wales, Australia	male	#50	199	Insufficient	Not yet available
1963	New South Wales, Australia	male	#38	276	Insufficient	Not yet available
1962	New South Wales, Australia	male	#36	288	Insufficient	Not yet available
1961	New South Wales, Australia	male	#37	292	Insufficient	Not yet available
1960	New South Wales, Australia	male	#42	279	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	male	#39	288	Insufficient	Not yet available
1958	New South Wales, Australia	male	#35	291	Insufficient	Not yet available
1957	New South Wales, Australia	male	#37	299	Insufficient	Not yet available
1956	New South Wales, Australia	male	#37	299	Insufficient	Not yet available
1955	New South Wales, Australia	male	#32	322	Insufficient	Not yet available
1954	New South Wales, Australia	male	#34	306	Insufficient	Not yet available
1953	New South Wales, Australia	male	#35	303	Insufficient	Not yet available
1952	New South Wales, Australia	male	#42	233	Insufficient	Not yet available
1979	New Zealand	male	#90	59	High	Verified
1978	New Zealand	male	#100	54	High	Verified
1972	New Zealand	male	#86	85	High	Verified
1971	New Zealand	male	#77	99	High	Verified
1970	New Zealand	male	#82	94	High	Verified
1969	New Zealand	male	#52	141	High	Verified
1968	New Zealand	male	#69	110	High	Verified
1967	New Zealand	male	#50	145	High	Verified
1966	New Zealand	male	#56	133	High	Verified
1965	New Zealand	male	#48	151	High	Verified
1964	New Zealand	male	#45	167	High	Verified
1963	New Zealand	male	#37	212	High	Verified
1962	New Zealand	male	#34	223	High	Verified
1961	New Zealand	male	#37	216	High	Verified
1960	New Zealand	male	#34	219	High	Verified
1959	New Zealand	male	#35	224	High	Verified
1958	New Zealand	male	#38	198	High	Verified
1957	New Zealand	male	#34	218	High	Verified
1956	New Zealand	male	#30	236	High	Verified
1955	New Zealand	male	#32	227	High	Verified
1954	New Zealand	male	#40	181	High	Verified
2022	Northern Ireland	male	#352	4	High	Verified
2020	Northern Ireland	male	#392	3	High	Verified
2017	Northern Ireland	male	#363	4	High	Verified
2014	Northern Ireland	male	#398	3	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#273	6	High	Verified
2011	Northern Ireland	male	#245	7	High	Verified
2010	Northern Ireland	male	#222	9	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	male	#293	5	High	Verified
2008	Northern Ireland	male	#232	8	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#222	8	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	male	#199	9	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	male	#205	8	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#149	14	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#149	13	High	Verified
2002	Northern Ireland	male	#175	8	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	male	#123	17	High	Verified
2000	Northern Ireland	male	#165	9	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#126	15	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#99	23	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	male	#84	34	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	male	#372	10	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#302	13	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	male	#436	8	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	male	#329	13	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	male	#414	8	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	male	#496	6	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	male	#466	7	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	male	#435	8	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	male	#317	13	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	male	#491	6	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#397	9	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#302	15	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	male	#317	13	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#290	16	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#308	14	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#220	25	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#337	11	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#225	23	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#201	24	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	male	#197	22	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	male	#165	27	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#151	28	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#134	32	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	male	#129	34	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#131	32	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	male	#104	46	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	male	#97	47	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	male	#107	39	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#115	43	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#110	47	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#86	62	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#83	73	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#79	78	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#83	73	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#81	79	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#81	82	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#71	94	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#75	88	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#68	106	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#75	102	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#66	112	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	male	#58	146	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#66	120	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	male	#56	162	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#64	144	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	male	#65	137	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#62	153	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	male	#55	180	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#59	157	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	male	#77	100	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	male	#77	98	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#73	98	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#79	98	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#93	70	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#98	65	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#108	38	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	male	#74	83	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	male	#103	33	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	male	#86	50	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	male	#81	58	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	male	#88	45	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	male	#82	43	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New Zealand hub — collected by NZ Department of Internal Affairs
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 5 registrars between 1952 and 2025, ranked in 74 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #30, first reached in 1956.

It held a top-100 place in 47 years, 44 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 322 births, registered in New South Wales, Australia in 1955.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1954, and 45 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Nehemiah · #655, 27y
Nehir · #1325, 18y
Neila · #750, 15y
Neill · #154, 35y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 5 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Jeffrey · #30, 73y
Shirley · #30, 72y
Annette · #31, 72y
Joan · #31, 73y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Jeffrey · #30, 73y
Kathryn · #30, 73y
Shirley · #30, 72y
Tanya · #30, 66y

Neil was ranked #30 in New Zealand · Boys in 1956. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Neil and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Neil without appearing here.

Neil moved ahead of

Calum Compare
In 2020 they stood at #1431 and #1192 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2021 that had become #1078 and #1984.
Craig Compare
In 2015 they stood at #977 and #821 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2016 that had become #681 and #1157.
Darren Compare
In 2022 they stood at #1084 and #993 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2023 that had become #929 and #1272.
Ross Compare
In 2019 they stood at #974 and #894 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2020 that had become #1431 and #1723.

Moved ahead of Neil

Tadhg Compare
In 2017 they stood at #833 and #943 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2018 that had become #1610 and #786.
Cooper Compare
In 2006 they stood at #560 and #677 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2007 that had become #776 and #509.
Jonas Compare
In 2011 they stood at #546 and #565 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2012 that had become #734 and #490.
Hudson Compare
In 2006 they stood at #560 and #885 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2007 that had become #776 and #538.

Moved the opposite way to Neil

Conor Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #82 to #372 while Conor went from #56 to #16.
Liam Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #82 to #372 while Liam went from #54 to #7.
Leon Compare
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #103 to #372 while Leon went from #207 to #73.
Dylan Compare
Between 1969 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #74 to #372 while Dylan went from #246 to #69.

Moved the same way as Neil

Alfred Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #82 to #372 and Alfred from #134 to #286.
Denis Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #82 to #372 and Denis from #21 to #232.
Frank Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #82 to #372 and Frank from #164 to #286.
Julian Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neil went from #82 to #372 and Julian from #191 to #348.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #30 in New Zealand in 1956. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Neil

Neil at a glance

What stands out in Neil's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Neil across 5 official records

Neil by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Neil appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Neil

Neil and the names beside it

Neil moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Neil

Moved the opposite way to Neil

Moved the same way as Neil

Neil at a glance

What stands out in Neil's record

Neil across 5 official records

Neil by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Neil appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Neil

Neil and the names beside it

Neil moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Neil

Moved the opposite way to Neil

Moved the same way as Neil