Given name & surname · also Irish
McNeil
“the son of Neil”
McNeil is a variant of Macneill. One interpretation is “the son of Neil.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McNeil is a variant of Macneill. One interpretation is “the son of Neil.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
McNeil comes from Irish, and ultimately from Scottish Gaelic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Scottish Gaelic Mac Néill (“son of Níall”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McNeil through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 53
- 53 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1930
- 6 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 1993. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 166 as a first name in 2020; 32,607 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.
McNeil’s family of names
McNeil has a related form in Macneill. In English usage, McNeil as a surname has a related form in McNeal. In English usage, McNeil as a surname has a related form in McNeile.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love McNeil, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Donal
“ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior”
>99% boys
Dunn
“a brown-haired man”
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Manus
“a great man”
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Lyall
“a faithful man” · “resembling a wolf”
>99% boys
McRay
“the son of Ray”
>99% boys
Glenville
“from the village in the glen”
>99% boys
Mcclellan
“son of the servant of Faolán”
>99% boys
Downey
“descendant of Dúnadhach”
>99% boys