People with the first name Neil
81,118
About 1 in 4,086 Americans had this first name in the 2020 Census.
Measured, privacy-protected national Census count—not a total of historical baby-name records.
U.S. first-name statistics
How common is Neil?
Neil was the #650 most frequent first name in the 2020 Census.
National rank
#650
More common than 98.8% of listed first names
Peak year
1954
1,964 SSA-recorded births
2025 births
288
#1,741 across first names
Census frequency
1 in 4,086
Across the 2020 U.S. population
Sex distribution
Reported in the 2020 Census first-name table.
99.8% male0.2% female
Demographic distribution
Aggregated race and Hispanic-origin reporting in the 2020 Census name table.
Reading the result
Neil across two different records
The Census count answers “how many people had this name?” using a national snapshot of living residents in 2020. The SSA series answers “when was this name popular?” using Social Security card applications associated with births.
Neil reached its highest published annual SSA count in 1954, with 1,964 recorded births. In 2025, SSA recorded 288 babies with the name.
Names do not determine a person’s identity. Demographic percentages above describe national aggregates and should never be applied to an individual.
Add a last name