Updated November 2023
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Irish
"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…
Niall is pronounced nye-al--something like Neil, 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…
"champion or cloud"
Always the less common spelling of Irish classic Neil, Neal has been on a fifty-year slide, and now doesn't even make the Top 1000. It has a streamlined, surnamey appeal in this spelling.
Feminine variation of Neal
"champion, or cloud"
Female form of Neal, now more popular in Ireland than its male counterpart.
Hebrew, Akan
"cloud; fourth-born child"
Little-known name from the Old Testament.
Catalan and Russian variation of Neil, Irish
Better to stick with the Neil spelling in the US, where the word "nil" also means "zero." But this is a Top Ten name in Catalonia.
An Irish classic for boys that has a streamlined, surnamey, unisex appeal in this spelling.
While Niall -- pronounced as Neil or like the river Nile -- is conventionally a boys' name, it might theoretically work for girls.
One of the boys' names that sounds fresher today for a girl. Second-best-spelling for boys, Neal, may work even better for girls.
Latin nature name
"dark cloud"
Nimbus is a word from nature for a type of cloud that has occasionally -- very occasionally -- been used for a human. But it's evocative and upbeat and certainly makes an intriguing and stylish…
Nimbus is a new nature name that works for either gender and manages to be both familiar and unique. An evocative and daring nature name for the future.