Given name & surname
Neilan
“the champion”
Neilan is a variant of Neil. One interpretation is “the champion.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Neilan is a variant of Neil. One interpretation is “the champion.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Neilan is a form of Nealon. Nealon comes from Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1922. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Neilan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 166
- 166 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #10,369 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −39%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 10,369 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14 in 2017. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 163 as a first name in 2020; 674 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.
Neilan’s family of names
Neilan has a related form in Neil. In English usage, Neilan as a surname has a related form in Nealon.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Neilan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lehan
“descendant of Liathán”
>99% boys
Eoghan
“the little swift one”
>99% boys
Whelan
“descendant of Faolán”
>99% boys
Bohan
“descendant of Buadhachán”
>99% boys
Keiran
“having dark features; the little dark one”
>99% boys
Lachlann
“loch” · “place of”
>99% boys
Drennan
“descendant of Draighneán”
>99% boys
Whalen
“descendant of Faolán”
>99% boys