Neal is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Neal means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Neal across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Neal has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Neal is a boy name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “champion or cloud”. A variant spelling of Neil, from the Irish name Niall.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 55,305 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 227 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 205 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 3 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 347 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Neal per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1959 (1,222/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (24/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1976 (20/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1980 (14/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2003 (3/yr).
Neal has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1959, when it ranked #473 nationally (given to 1,222 babies that year).
Nellie · Neil · Nell · Noelle · Noel · Nelle · Newell · Nala
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