Given name & surname
McNeal
“the son of Neil”
McNeal is a variant of Macneill. One interpretation is “the son of Neil.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McNeal is a variant of Macneill. One interpretation is “the son of Neil.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
McNeal is a form of McNeil. McNeil comes from Irish, and ultimately from Scottish Gaelic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McNeal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 43
- 43 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1952. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 19,705 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
McNeal’s family of names
McNeal has a related form in Macneill. In English usage, McNeal as a surname has a related form in McNeil. In English usage, McNeal as a surname has a related form in Macneal.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love McNeal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Earl
“a nobleman”
>99% boys
Russel
“a little red-haired boy”
>99% boys
Merle
“resembling a blackbird”
98% boys · 2% girls
Odell
“a sweet melody” · “one who is wealthy”
98% boys · 2% girls
Vergil
“the staff-bearer”
>99% boys
Enos
“mankind” · “a man”
>99% boys
Mervin
“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys
Lovell
“having a soft spirit” · “resembling a young wolf”
92% boys · 8% girls