Nihal
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- ni-HAAL
- Origin
- Persian
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,055 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,940 for boys
Nihal is a name of Persian origin, meaning “delighted; young sapling”. In 2025 it ranked 1,055th for boys in the UK (31 babies) and 2,940th for boys in the US (42 babies).
What does Nihal mean?
Persian: from Persian nihal, sapling; in Hindi and Punjabi it came to mean delighted
“delighted; young sapling”
Used in Indian, especially Sikh and Hindu, families; in Turkey Nihal is a girl's name meaning young sapling.
Is Nihal a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Nihal has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 6 girls and 31 boys in the UK and 12 girls and 42 boys in the US.
How popular is Nihal in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,055th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 31 about 1 in 9,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 48% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 31 boys in the UK were named Nihal, making it the 1,055th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,317th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 49 boys. 6 girls were also named Nihal in 2025 (3,776th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Nihal in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 41 boys in the UK were given Nihal or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #766, up from #1,055 for this spelling alone.
- Nihal 31
- Nihaal 10
In 2025, 16% of the babies named Nihal in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 976th in England and Wales.
Nihal in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31 | #1,055 |
| 2024 | 49 | #769 |
| 2023 | 25 | #1,214 |
| 2022 | 20 | #1,404 |
| 2021 | 19 | #1,422 |
| 2020 | 21 | #1,317 |
| 2019 | 27 | #1,103 |
| 2018 | 23 | #1,243 |
| 2017 | 28 | #1,115 |
| 2016 | 22 | #1,309 |
| 2015 | 35 | #946 |
| 2014 | 23 | #1,226 |
| 2013 | 47 | #758 |
| 2012 | 27 | #1,099 |
| 2011 | 35 | #906 |
| 2010 | 38 | #848 |
| 2009 | 38 | #839 |
| 2008 | 28 | #1,020 |
| 2007 | 26 | #1,031 |
| 2006 | 22 | #1,096 |
| 2005 | 14 | #1,445 |
| 2004 | 8 | #1,983 |
| 2003 | 12 | #1,418 |
| 2002 | 8 | #1,728 |
| 2001 | 11 | #1,369 |
| 2000 | 7 | #1,775 |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 3 | #2,949 |
How popular is Nihal in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,940th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 42 about 1 in 41,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 42 boys in the US were named Nihal, making it the 2,940th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,422nd. It first appears in the records in 1993. 12 girls were also named Nihal in 2025 (8,360th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the most boys named Nihal of any year since it first appeared, in 1993.
Half of all the boys named Nihal in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 67 boys in the US were given Nihal or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,863, up from #2,940 for this spelling alone.
- Nihal 42
- Nihaal 25
In 2025, 22% of the babies named Nihal in the US were girls.
Nihal in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42 | #2,940 |
| 2024 | 41 | #3,000 |
| 2023 | 32 | #3,564 |
| 2022 | 25 | #4,180 |
| 2021 | 39 | #3,073 |
| 2020 | 22 | #4,422 |
| 2019 | 34 | #3,344 |
| 2018 | 30 | #3,603 |
| 2017 | 37 | #3,122 |
| 2016 | 38 | #3,058 |
| 2015 | 41 | #2,863 |
| 2014 | 41 | #2,845 |
| 2013 | 35 | #3,120 |
| 2012 | 30 | #3,527 |
| 2011 | 30 | #3,509 |
| 2010 | 27 | #3,811 |
| 2009 | 28 | #3,719 |
| 2008 | 25 | #4,041 |
| 2007 | 25 | #4,009 |
| 2006 | 18 | #4,861 |
| 2005 | 34 | #3,018 |
| 2004 | 31 | #3,154 |
| 2003 | 18 | #4,421 |
| 2002 | 13 | #5,388 |
| 2001 | 24 | #3,507 |
| 2000 | 19 | #4,060 |
| 1999 | 12 | #5,311 |
| 1998 | 6 | #8,472 |
| 1997 | 6 | #8,104 |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 9 | #5,922 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 7 | #6,809 |
Names like Nihal
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ayaan, Musa, Yahya, Muhammad, Aarav, Hamza, Rayyan, Arham, Aahil, Zayan, Ibrahim, Zayd
Other spellings of Nihal
Names related to Nihal
More Persian names
Jasper, Esther, Jasmine, Casper, Cyrus, Yasmin, Darius, Zorawar, Kiyan, Rumi, Yasmine, Kasper, Mahnoor, Dario, Arian, Arman
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, “Nihal: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nihal, updated 20 October 2026.