How Many People Are Named Niel?
An estimated 918 people in the United States have the first name Niel. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 52 years old, and Niel peaked in popularity in 1958 with 26 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Niel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Niel paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
918
About 1 in 373,371 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
52
years old
Peak Year
1958
26 births
Total Registered
1,379
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Niel
Niel is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 1,379 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Niel as a male name
Ranked #13,577 in 2023
5 male births in 2023
Peak: 1958 (26 births)
Niel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Niel span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 213 babies were registered. Niel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Niel by Decade
How has Niel tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Niel by State
Birth registrations for Niel span all 3 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Wisconsin. The lowest are in Wisconsin, California, New York. On average, about 13 Niels were registered per state.
Niel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Niel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Niel
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
Niel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niel?
We estimate approximately 918 people named Niel are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 373,371 Americans share this first name.
Is Niel a common name?
Niel is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 89.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,379 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Niel most popular?
Niel reached peak popularity in 1958, when 26 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Niel is approximately 52 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Niel a male name?
Niel is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Niel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Niel Smith, Niel Johnson, Niel Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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