Nijel
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- NYE-jel
- Origin
- Irish
Nijel is a boys' name of Irish origin. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Nijel mean?
Irish: respelling of Nigel, a medieval Latinised form of Irish Niall
Variant spelling of Nigel, a name the Normans brought to England, ultimately from Irish Niall.
Is Nijel a girl's or a boy's name?
Nijel is a boys' name.
How popular is Nijel in the US?
No boys in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2000, with 20 boys. It first appears in the records in 1987.
Half of all the boys named Nijel in the US since 1880 were born between 1997 and 2009, the years shaded on the chart below.
Nijel in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6 | #10,855 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 7 | #9,548 |
| 2019 | 5 | #12,138 |
| 2018 | 10 | #7,613 |
| 2017 | 5 | #12,241 |
| 2016 | 7 | #9,659 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 8 | #8,775 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 9 | #8,152 |
| 2011 | 10 | #7,495 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,133 |
| 2009 | 10 | #7,687 |
| 2008 | 14 | #6,065 |
| 2007 | 18 | #4,994 |
| 2006 | 13 | #6,090 |
| 2005 | 11 | #6,628 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5,487 |
| 2003 | 10 | #6,708 |
| 2002 | 13 | #5,388 |
| 2001 | 15 | #4,884 |
| 2000 | 20 | #3,916 |
| 1999 | 19 | #3,829 |
| 1998 | 15 | #4,409 |
| 1997 | 9 | #6,094 |
| 1996 | 7 | #7,129 |
| 1995 | 12 | #4,785 |
| 1994 | 10 | #5,446 |
| 1993 | 12 | #4,690 |
| 1992 | 9 | #5,652 |
| 1991 | 7 | #6,511 |
| 1990 | 9 | #5,375 |
| 1989 | 9 | #5,158 |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 6 | #6,083 |
Names like Nijel
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Axel Noah Nico Nasir Angel Maxwell Aiden Connor Sawyer Samuel Luca Cooper
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Ronan Declan Casey Kennedy Callan
Sources
Figures from 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, “Nijel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nijel, updated 20 October 2026.