Nigel
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Latin
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,747 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,077 for boys
Nigel is a boys' name of Latin origin, meaning “slightly black”. In 2025 it ranked 3,747th for boys in the UK (5 babies) and 2,077th for boys in the US (71 babies).
What does Nigel mean?
Latin
“slightly black”
A male given name from Latin, of mostly British usage.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Nigel a girl's or a boy's name?
Nigel is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 5 boys in the UK and 71 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Nigel in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,747among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 5about 1 in 60,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 5 boys in the UK were named Nigel, making it the 3,747th most popular name for boys. Its busiest year was 1996, with 34 boys.
Half of all the boys named Nigel in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2010. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 3,656th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1944 (#69), 1954 (#27), 1964 (#23) and 1974 (#55).
Nigel in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #3,747 |
| 2024 | 5 | #3,772 |
| 2023 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 8 | #2,619 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 9 | #2,399 |
| 2018 | 8 | #2,576 |
| 2017 | 11 | #2,174 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,425 |
| 2014 | 11 | #2,054 |
| 2013 | 10 | #2,176 |
| 2012 | 15 | #1,692 |
| 2011 | 14 | #1,697 |
| 2010 | 18 | #1,452 |
| 2009 | 16 | #1,507 |
| 2008 | 25 | #1,102 |
| 2007 | 28 | #973 |
| 2006 | 27 | #959 |
| 2005 | 33 | #812 |
| 2004 | 27 | #864 |
| 2003 | 30 | #773 |
| 2002 | 13 | #1,252 |
| 2001 | 10 | #1,458 |
| 2000 | 24 | #785 |
| 1999 | 14 | #1,087 |
| 1998 | 24 | #749 |
| 1997 | 24 | #741 |
| 1996 | 34 | #548 |
How popular is Nigel in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,077among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 71about 1 in 24,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 33% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 71 boys in the US were named Nigel, making it the 2,077th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,849th. Its busiest year was 1994, with 448 boys. It first appears in the records in 1929.
Half of all the boys named Nigel in the US since 1880 were born between 1988 and 2006, the years shaded on the chart below.
Nigel in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 71 | #2,077 |
| 2024 | 66 | #2,190 |
| 2023 | 73 | #2,046 |
| 2022 | 71 | #2,093 |
| 2021 | 94 | #1,721 |
| 2020 | 80 | #1,849 |
| 2019 | 108 | #1,548 |
| 2018 | 125 | #1,401 |
| 2017 | 150 | #1,219 |
| 2016 | 146 | #1,254 |
| 2015 | 173 | #1,111 |
| 2014 | 155 | #1,188 |
| 2013 | 170 | #1,090 |
| 2012 | 178 | #1,065 |
| 2011 | 194 | #998 |
| 2010 | 216 | #933 |
| 2009 | 249 | #856 |
| 2008 | 271 | #809 |
| 2007 | 303 | #742 |
| 2006 | 309 | #707 |
| 2005 | 276 | #733 |
| 2004 | 237 | #766 |
| 2003 | 266 | #706 |
| 2002 | 280 | #667 |
| 2001 | 305 | #622 |
| 2000 | 349 | #577 |
| 1999 | 361 | #555 |
| 1998 | 373 | #537 |
| 1997 | 372 | #534 |
| 1996 | 383 | #523 |
| 1995 | 405 | #507 |
| 1994 | 448 | #477 |
| 1993 | 432 | #487 |
| 1992 | 384 | #519 |
| 1991 | 318 | #567 |
| 1990 | 315 | #569 |
| 1989 | 286 | #577 |
| 1988 | 240 | #611 |
| 1987 | 208 | #635 |
| 1986 | 208 | #621 |
| 1985 | 194 | #632 |
| 1984 | 154 | #703 |
| 1983 | 161 | #673 |
| 1982 | 145 | #720 |
| 1981 | 191 | #616 |
| 1980 | 165 | #675 |
| 1979 | 145 | #718 |
| 1978 | 117 | #778 |
| 1977 | 146 | #705 |
| 1976 | 123 | #748 |
| 1975 | 132 | #719 |
| 1974 | 90 | #847 |
| 1973 | 95 | #810 |
| 1972 | 89 | #851 |
| 1971 | 95 | #828 |
| 1970 | 56 | #1,093 |
| 1969 | 55 | #1,042 |
| 1968 | 44 | #1,131 |
| 1967 | 44 | #1,117 |
| 1966 | 23 | #1,612 |
| 1965 | 27 | #1,482 |
| 1964 | 28 | #1,486 |
| 1963 | 22 | #1,694 |
| 1962 | 26 | #1,545 |
| 1961 | 26 | #1,569 |
| 1960 | 22 | #1,727 |
| 1959 | 22 | #1,708 |
| 1958 | 24 | #1,592 |
| 1957 | 29 | #1,456 |
| 1956 | 15 | #2,090 |
| 1955 | 26 | #1,502 |
| 1954 | 20 | #1,705 |
| 1953 | 10 | #2,530 |
| 1952 | 11 | #2,374 |
| 1951 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 1950 | 9 | #2,579 |
| 1949 | 5 | #3,688 |
| 1948 | 9 | #2,607 |
| 1947 | 7 | #3,095 |
| 1946 | 6 | #3,171 |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 7 | #2,871 |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 5 | #3,548 |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 7 | #2,972 |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 6 | #3,557 |
Names like Nigel
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Nathan Michael Daniel Patrick Adam Abdul Marcus Matthew Ryan Dylan Nicholas Ethan
Names related to Nigel
More Latin names
Oliver Olivia Leo Roman Aurora Emily Florence Mabel Luna Nora Rosie Emilia Max Nova Lucy Julian
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, “Nigel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nigel, updated 20 October 2026.