Name meaning & stats
Nil
Nil means “champion (debated)” (Irish origin). 280 US babies since 1940, peak 2023. Notable Nils are 1.4× over-represented as basketball players.
What it means
“champion (debated)”
IrishSpelling of Neil
Neil around the world
- Нил · Russian
- Ніл · Ukrainian
- Νιλ · Greek
- نيل · Arabic
- ניל · Hebrew
- ニール · Japanese
- 尼尔 · Chinese
- 닐 · Korean
- Neale · Irish
- Neill · English
Famous Neils
- Neil Armstrong · American astronaut and lunar explorer (1930–2012)
- Neil Gaiman · English writer (born 1960)
- Neil Young · Canadian singer, songwriter and filmmaker (born 1945)
- Neil deGrasse Tyson · American astrophysicist and science communicator
In US birth records
Peak year: 2023
280 US babies were named Nil between 1940 and 2025.
Nil around the world
- Sweden: 26 babies since 1998, peak 2022, No. 699 in 2022
- Belgium: 47 babies since 1995, peak 2010, No. 941 in 2025
- France: 1,085 babies since 1900, peak 2020, No. 967 in 2025
From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.
Where Nils end up
| Career | vs expected | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Footballer | 1.1× | Low · 3 people |
| Basketball player | 1.4× | Low · 3 people |
| Actor | 1.2× | Low · 2 people |
| Politician | 1.0× | Low · 2 people |
Among notable men who are basketball players, Nils show up 1.4× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.
Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.
Other spellings
1 in 338 Neils spell it Nil
Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.
Name twins (peaked around 2023)