Neil

Irish

"cloud"

Updated Thu Mar 13 2025

Show me Neil as a girl's name →

Neil Origin and Meaning

The name Neil is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "cloud".

Always the top spelling of the name; Neil peaked in the 1950s, but then enjoyed a second coming following the fame of such Neils as astronaut Armstrong and singers Sedaka, Diamond, and Young. Now semiretired.

# 811 in the US

Neil Rank in US Top 1000

# 775 on Nameberry

Neil Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Neil

811US2023
775Nameberry2025
498Future2028
935England2023

20 Names Similar to Neil

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Famous People Named Neil

Neil Armstrong
American astronaut
Neil deGrasse Tyson
American astrophysicist
Neil Tennant
English singer
Neil Simon
American playwright
Neil Diamond
American musician
Neil Young
Canadian musician
Neil Sedaka
American musician
Neil Gaiman
English author
Neil Patrick Harris
American actor
Neil Postman
American media theorist and author
Neil Byrne
Irish singer
Neil Abercrombie
American politician and governor of Hawaii
Neil Lennon
Celtic Football Club Manager.
Dustin Neil Diamond
American actor
Neil LaBute
American playwright and film director
Neil Mallon Pierce Bush
American businessman
Neil Cicierega
American internet artist and comedian
Neil Peart
Canadian drummer for the rock band Rush

The name Neil in Pop Culture

Neil Michael Wolowitz
son of Howard and Bernadette on TV's "The Big Bang Theory"
Neil Marshall
character from "Ace Attorney"
Neil Josten
character from Nora Sakavic's "The Foxhole Court"
Neil Perry
character from "Dead Poets Society"
Neil
main character in the Rooster Teeth animated series "Camp Camp"
Neil “Space Kid” Armstrong Junior
character in the Rooster Teeth animated series "Camp Camp"

International Variations of the name Neil

Nyle
Scandinavian
Niall
Irish