Given name & surname
Nihal
“one who is content”
Nihal is used as a given name and a surname. One Indian interpretation is “one who is content.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “one who is content.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Indian.
How it developed
From Ottoman Turkish نهال (nihāl, “a sapling, offshoot”), from Persian نهال (nehâl, nahâl).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1993. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nihal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,063
- 825 boys · 238 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 61 babies
- 2025
- 54
- #2,971 for boys · #8,721 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 42 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,971 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 11.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 12 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (21). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,409 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nihal’s family of names
Nihal has a related form in Neahal. Nihal has a related form in Nechal. Nihal has a related form in Neihal.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
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.
People named Nihal
- Nihal AtsızTurkish poet and writer (1905–1975)
- Nihal YalçınTurkish actor (born 1981)
- Nihal MeshrefEgyptian table tennis playerborn 1970
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nihal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Satya
“the unchangeable truth”
54% boys · 46% girls
Soma
“an exalted woman; one who gives praise”
62% boys · 38% girls
Naveen
“a pleasant, lovely woman” · “one who is strong-willed”
89% boys · 11% girls
Taj
“one who is crowned”
89% boys · 11% girls
Amaree
“having great strength; a builder” · “one who will be forever beautiful”
52% boys · 48% girls
Prestyn
“from the priest's town”
61% boys · 39% girls
Covey
“a brood of birds”
64% boys · 36% girls
Jahan
“man of the world”
96% boys · 4% girls