Given name & surname · also Dutch
Niel
“the champion”
Niel is a variant of Neil. One interpretation is “the champion.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Niel is a variant of Neil. One interpretation is “the champion.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Niel comes from Dutch, and ultimately from French.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Niel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,384
- 1,384 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1958
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,333 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,333 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 26 in 1958. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,161 as a first name in 2020; 422 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.
Niel’s family of names
Niel has a related form in Neil. In German usage, Niel as a surname has a related form in NIEHL.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
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 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Niel
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Niel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sal
“princess; lady” · “a savior”
>99% boys
Russ
“a little red-haired boy”
>99% boys
Karl
“a free man”
>99% boys
Dirk
“the ruler of the tribe”
>99% boys
Gibert
Gibert is a surname from Catalan, ultimately from French.
>99% boys
Fritz
“a peaceful ruler”
>99% boys
Carl
“a free man”
>99% boys
Randall
“the wolf shield”
>99% boys