boy's name
Niall
NYE-al
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 24,910
Northern Ireland
#147
2024 births
Niall is a boy's name of Irish origin whose meaning is unresolved, and its bearer's descendants supplied most of Ireland's High Kings for six centuries. It ranks 147th in Northern Ireland and 247th in Ireland.
- Niall is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 1991, when 440 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 2,361 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1964.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Niall over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,163 |
| 1970s | 3,374 |
| 1980s | 3,607 |
| 1990s | 2,951 |
| 2000s | 1,416 |
| 2010s | 670 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 172 |
What Niall means
Niall has no settled meaning. Champion, cloud and passionate have all been proposed for the Irish Niall, and none can be demonstrated — the name belongs to a layer of Irish naming where derivations are frequently lost.
Where Niall comes from
Niall is an Irish name whose derivation is genuinely open; the champion reading usually printed rests on nothing firm. Its bearer is Niall Noígíallach — Niall of the Nine Hostages — a fifth-century king whose descendants, the Uí Néill, supplied most of the High Kings of Ireland until the twelfth century and whose lines produced the O'Neills, O'Donnells and MacLochlainns. A 2006 Trinity College study found a Y-chromosome signature carried by around one in twelve men in northwest Ireland and consistent with descent from a single early-medieval individual, which was widely reported as genetic evidence for Niall himself; the identification is an inference rather than a finding. The name gave English Neil and Neal through Norse and Norman transmission, and Nigel is a medieval Latinization of it.
Niall in use
Niall ranks 147th in Northern Ireland with 15 births in 2024, 247th in Ireland and 253rd in Scotland, and it is falling in our data from a peak in 1991. Our records carry it from 1964. It holds 749th in England and Wales and 1,701st in the United States, where Neil is the usual spelling and is counted separately.
How popular is Niall?
In 2025, Niall was given to 19 babies in Ireland, ranking #247 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Niall is used
Irish figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. The Central Statistics Office began recording the síneadh fada in 2018, so accented and unaccented spellings are counted separately from that year on. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Niall
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Niall also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Niall over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Niall in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Niall
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Niall — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Niall
What does the name Niall mean?
It is unresolved. Champion is the usual gloss but rests on nothing firm.
Who was Niall of the Nine Hostages?
A fifth-century king whose descendants, the Uí Néill, supplied most of Ireland's High Kings for six centuries.
Is Nigel related to Niall?
Yes — Nigel is a medieval Latinization of it, and Neil and Neal come from the same source.
How do you pronounce Niall?
NYE-al, one or two syllables depending on the speaker.
How popular is the name Niall?
In 2025, Niall was given to 19 babies in Ireland, ranking #247 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Niall a girl's or a boy's name?
Niall is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Niall?
Niall has 1 syllable.
When was Niall most popular?
Niall peaked in 1991, when 440 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Niall a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Niall currently ranks #147 in Ireland. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.