Given name & surname
Nil
“the champion”
Nil is a masculine given name. It is used in Turkish and Azerbaijani.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nil is a romanization of Neil. One interpretation is “the champion.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1989. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nil through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 280
- 122 boys · 158 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 25 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #8,215 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +30%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 8,215 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 10.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 19 in 2017. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 477 as a first name in 2020; 104 as a surname in 2010.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nil’s family of names
In Catalan usage, Nil has a conventional equivalent in the English form Neil. In Polish usage, Nil has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form NILO. In Polish usage, Nil has a conventional equivalent in the German form NILUS.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nil has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
5 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
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.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nil
- Nil CardonerSpanish actorborn 1998
- Nil LushchakEastern Catholic bishopborn 1973
- Nil YalterTurkish artist (born 1938)
- Nil BurakTurkish Cypriot actor and singer (born 1948)
- Nil SolansSpanish rally driverborn 1992
- Nil MontserratCatalan racing driverborn 1988
- Nil de OliveiraSwedish sprinterborn 1986
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nil, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tilli
“the power of the people”
>99% girls
Syra
“syrian”
>99% girls
Anastasija
“resurrection”
>99% girls
Macarena
“blessed, happy”
>99% girls
Talia
“morning dew from heaven” · “blooming”
>99% girls
Demi
“a petite woman; half”
1% boys · 99% girls
Tarja
Tarja is a feminine given name from Russian, ultimately from Ancient Greek. It is used in Finnish.
>99% girls
Sibylla
“a prophetess; a seer”
>99% girls