Niall is pronounced like Neal, but this Irish spelling of the name makes it much more current and cool.

This is an ancient name borne by several of the high kings of Tara, the most famous of whom was the powerful semi-mythological fifth century king known as Niall of the Nine Hostages, ancestor of all the O'Neills and MacNeills that followed.

Niall Ferguson is a respected English historian, one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2004.