Celtic · boy

Neil

A familiar name with a nostalgic, vintage feel.

Rank 2024

#862

Trend

falling

Band

rare

Styles

short · vintage

Meaning

Champion or cloud (Irish Niall)

Neil is a rare boy name with Celtic roots. In 2024, 278 newborns in the U.S. were given the name — ranking it #862 nationally, and it has been gently easing in recent years. Its style leans short, vintage — tags you can match against your partner's picks in the combiner.

shortvintage

About Celtic names

Celtic names come from the old languages of Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany, and they carry that landscape with them — names meaning fair, little fire, born of the sea. Spellings can look mysterious to American eyes (Saoirse, Niamh) because Gaelic follows its own elegant rules. Many arrive with myths attached: warriors, queens, and figures from stories a thousand years deep.

Meaning and origin are editorial; U.S. popularity comes from Social Security Administration public files.

Similar names