Given name & surname
Nile
“from the Nile river”
Nile is used as a given name and a surname. One Egyptian interpretation is “from the Nile river.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Egyptian interpretation is “from the Nile river.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Egyptian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1895. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nile through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,066
- 3,696 boys · 370 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 159 babies
- 2025
- 94
- #1,848 for boys · #11,642 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +30%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 87% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 86 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,848 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 32.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,510 as a first name in 2020; 505 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.
Nile’s family of names
Nile has a related form in Nyla. Nile has a related form in Nila. Nile has a related form in Naila.
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 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 8
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nile
- Nile RodgersAmerican record producer, musician and composerborn 1952
- Nile RangerEnglish footballer (born 1991)
- Nile WilsonBritish artistic gymnastborn 1996
- Nile KinnickAmerican football player1918–1943
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Nile, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Usher
“from the mouth of the river” · “from. the mouth of the river”
>99% boys
Locke
“man of the forest” · “from the fortress”
>99% boys
Rio
“woman of the river” · “from the river”
79% boys · 21% girls
Rowen
“of the red-berry tree”
77% boys · 23% girls
Woods
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
98% boys · 2% girls
Murdoch
“from the sea”
>99% boys
Arlo
“from the barberry tree”
96% boys · 4% girls
Leith
“from the broad river”
>99% boys