Niels
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- NEELZ
- Origin
- Greek
- US rank, 2025
- #5,859 for boys
Niels is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “victory of the people”. In 2025 it ranked 5,859th for boys in the US (15 babies).
What does Niels mean?
Greek: Danish and Dutch form of Nicholas
“victory of the people”
Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist, won the 1922 Nobel Prize for his model of the atom.
Is Niels a girl's or a boy's name?
Niels is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 15 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Niels in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1998, with 7 boys.
Niels in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 3 | #4,865 |
| 2009 | 1 | #6,016 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 6 | #2,545 |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
| 2003 | 1 | #4,616 |
| 2002 | 4 | #2,751 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 4 | #2,612 |
| 1999 | 1 | #3,925 |
| 1998 | 7 | #1,727 |
How popular is Niels in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,859th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 15 about 1 in 110,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 15 boys in the US were named Niels, making it the 5,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,616th. Its busiest year was 1957, with 31 boys. It first appears in the records in 1893.
Half of all the boys named Niels in the US since 1880 were born between 1948 and 1998, the years shaded on the chart below.
Niels in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #5,859 |
| 2024 | 14 | #6,194 |
| 2023 | 7 | #9,757 |
| 2022 | 18 | #5,211 |
| 2021 | 10 | #7,582 |
| 2020 | 12 | #6,616 |
| 2019 | 14 | #6,099 |
| 2018 | 7 | #9,664 |
| 2017 | 14 | #6,056 |
| 2016 | 21 | #4,623 |
| 2015 | 18 | #5,056 |
| 2014 | 17 | #5,248 |
| 2013 | 14 | #5,919 |
| 2012 | 15 | #5,714 |
| 2011 | 14 | #5,939 |
| 2010 | 17 | #5,248 |
| 2009 | 6 | #10,989 |
| 2008 | 10 | #7,693 |
| 2007 | 14 | #5,898 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 11 | #6,628 |
| 2004 | 11 | #6,514 |
| 2003 | 13 | #5,551 |
| 2002 | 15 | #4,913 |
| 2001 | 21 | #3,837 |
| 2000 | 13 | #5,290 |
| 1999 | 14 | #4,756 |
| 1998 | 13 | #4,868 |
| 1997 | 8 | #6,612 |
| 1996 | 14 | #4,390 |
| 1995 | 12 | #4,785 |
| 1994 | 14 | #4,284 |
| 1993 | 15 | #4,013 |
| 1992 | 13 | #4,319 |
| 1991 | 12 | #4,468 |
| 1990 | 17 | #3,461 |
| 1989 | 11 | #4,521 |
| 1988 | 11 | #4,157 |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,567 |
| 1986 | 12 | #3,649 |
| 1985 | 18 | #2,708 |
| 1984 | 16 | #2,823 |
| 1983 | 11 | #3,629 |
| 1982 | 13 | #3,281 |
| 1981 | 17 | #2,678 |
| 1980 | 10 | #3,837 |
| 1979 | 13 | #3,167 |
| 1978 | 15 | #2,798 |
| 1977 | 12 | #3,201 |
| 1976 | 11 | #3,262 |
| 1975 | 13 | #2,900 |
| 1974 | 13 | #2,797 |
| 1973 | 17 | #2,309 |
| 1972 | 15 | #2,418 |
| 1971 | 9 | #3,368 |
| 1970 | 20 | #1,988 |
| 1969 | 18 | #1,976 |
| 1968 | 19 | #1,835 |
| 1967 | 15 | #2,029 |
| 1966 | 13 | #2,215 |
| 1965 | 16 | #1,986 |
| 1964 | 20 | #1,792 |
| 1963 | 15 | #2,114 |
| 1962 | 17 | #1,961 |
| 1961 | 17 | #1,996 |
| 1960 | 6 | #3,663 |
| 1959 | 17 | #1,973 |
| 1958 | 17 | #1,952 |
| 1957 | 31 | #1,410 |
| 1956 | 16 | #2,014 |
| 1955 | 20 | #1,724 |
| 1954 | 19 | #1,761 |
| 1953 | 14 | #2,098 |
| 1952 | 14 | #2,072 |
| 1951 | 12 | #2,245 |
| 1950 | 20 | #1,656 |
| 1949 | 9 | #2,605 |
| 1948 | 15 | #1,942 |
| 1947 | 14 | #2,075 |
| 1946 | 5 | #3,523 |
| 1945 | 8 | #2,573 |
| 1944 | 9 | #2,466 |
| 1943 | 11 | #2,276 |
| 1942 | 7 | #2,939 |
| 1941 | 6 | #3,132 |
| 1940 | 8 | #2,671 |
| 1939 | 9 | #2,449 |
| 1938 | 5 | #3,533 |
| 1937 | 12 | #2,088 |
| 1936 | 5 | #3,548 |
| 1935 | 6 | #3,252 |
| 1934 | 9 | #2,563 |
| 1933 | 10 | #2,367 |
| 1932 | 8 | #2,849 |
| 1931 | 9 | #2,650 |
| 1930 | 13 | #2,178 |
| 1929 | 13 | #2,198 |
| 1928 | 11 | #2,522 |
| 1927 | 17 | #1,959 |
| 1926 | 9 | #2,902 |
| 1925 | 11 | #2,586 |
| 1924 | 7 | #3,504 |
| 1923 | 7 | #3,465 |
| 1922 | 11 | #2,629 |
| 1921 | 13 | #2,375 |
| 1920 | 11 | #2,601 |
| 1919 | 10 | #2,664 |
| 1918 | 11 | #2,542 |
| 1917 | 11 | #2,422 |
| 1916 | 5 | #3,896 |
| 1915 | 14 | #1,967 |
| 1914 | 12 | #1,867 |
| 1913 | 7 | #2,272 |
| 1912 | 9 | #1,745 |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 5 | #1,232 |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 0 | – |
| 1894 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 5 | #1,034 |
Names like Niels
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
James, Charles, Jack, Nicholas, Luke, Thomas, George, Leon, Nathan, Alexander, John, William
Names related to Niels
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Iris, Maisie, Lainey
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, “Niels: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/niels, updated 20 October 2026.