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Neal

Gender
Boy
Origin
Irish
UK rank, 2025
#4,301 for boys
US rank, 2025
#1,906 for boys

Neal is a boys' name of Irish origin. In 2025 it ranked 4,301st for boys in the UK (4 babies) and 1,906th for boys in the US (82 babies).

What does Neal mean?

Irish

A male given name from Irish, transferred from the surname.

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Is Neal a girl's or a boy's name?

Neal is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 boys in the UK and 82 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Neal in the UK?

Rank in 2025
4,301st among boys
Babies in 2025
4 about 1 in 75,000 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 53% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 4 boys in the UK were named Neal, making it the 4,301st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,108th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 30 boys.

Half of all the boys named Neal in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

Among boys in 2025, it was 4,212th in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 30 in 19962025
Neal in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
20254#4,301
20240–
20234#4,335
20227#2,922
20214#4,188
20206#3,108
20194#4,126
20187#2,823
20177#2,875
20164#4,214
20159#2,425
20148#2,593
201310#2,176
20127#2,849
20118#2,503
20109#2,306
200910#2,084
200810#2,048
20077#2,554
20067#2,386
200510#1,814
20049#1,831
200311#1,498
20028#1,728
20017#1,833
20008#1,637
199912#1,188
199811#1,259
199714#1,066
199630#601

How popular is Neal in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,906th among boys
Babies in 2025
82 about 1 in 21,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 22% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 82 boys in the US were named Neal, making it the 1,906th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,568th. Its busiest year was 1959, with 1,222 boys.

Half of all the boys named Neal in the US since 1880 were born between 1944 and 1976, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 1,222 in 19592025
Neal in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
202582#1,906
202477#1,997
202395#1,735
2022110#1,597
2021110#1,577
2020104#1,568
2019118#1,468
2018102#1,606
2017132#1,348
2016152#1,229
2015152#1,210
2014120#1,402
201399#1,568
2012105#1,523
201197#1,587
2010114#1,447
2009113#1,471
2008112#1,467
2007116#1,405
2006139#1,202
2005131#1,208
2004112#1,314
2003129#1,158
2002169#947
2001172#907
2000178#883
1999186#817
1998210#758
1997246#665
1996262#639
1995258#648
1994294#610
1993384#520
1992396#508
1991444#470
1990463#459
1989522#408
1988460#421
1987456#408
1986543#348
1985562#339
1984566#332
1983573#329
1982556#338
1981596#320
1980592#323
1979637#306
1978583#307
1977622#309
1976550#323
1975648#293
1974582#313
1973537#323
1972534#333
1971600#315
1970718#289
1969703#281
1968651#290
1967741#268
1966815#254
1965884#250
19641,128#223
19631,094#227
19621,031#241
19611,122#237
19601,192#233
19591,222#222
19581,157#227
19571,192#218
19561,102#220
19551,060#220
19541,088#212
1953967#216
19521,143#198
1951956#208
1950848#217
1949740#239
1948713#242
1947730#243
1946676#232
1945578#232
1944568#236
1943535#263
1942569#236
1941543#233
1940506#239
1939444#256
1938446#258
1937430#261
1936419#265
1935415#265
1934440#257
1933362#277
1932374#283
1931372#286
1930381#292
1929342#301
1928377#291
1927384#291
1926417#279
1925420#282
1924405#284
1923410#279
1922388#281
1921344#314
1920371#293
1919294#328
1918287#336
1917277#327
1916283#308
1915228#355
1914176#352
1913143#345
1912127#336
191163#344
191065#304
190948#334
190846#330
190748#307
190643#316
190545#299
190444#288
190349#263
190246#277
190129#334
190058#269
189933#306
189840#288
189743#272
189635#315
189538#289
189441#275
189333#300
189235#312
189135#273
189040#272
188938#271
188837#289
188737#268
188640#267
188533#290
188436#288
188329#306
188235#288
188133#273
188043#252

Names like Neal

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

James, Neil, Charles, Thomas, John, David, Conn, George, William, Daniel, Joseph, Michael

Names related to Neal

Nael, Neel

More Irish names

Oscar, Rowan, Rory, Maeve, Finn, Aiden, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Ronan, Connor, Declan, Casey

Every Irish name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Neal: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/neal, updated 20 October 2026.