Neil is a masculine name of Irish origin. The name is an

anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

of the Irish '' Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. As a surname, Neil is traced back to

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall Noígíallach (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

who was an Irish king and

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous ancestor of the

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...

and

MacNeil MacNeil can have a number of different meanings and spellings: Clan MacNeil is a Scottish clan. Notable people * Al MacNeil (1935–2025), Canadian ice hockey player and coach * Angus MacNeil (born 1970), Scottish politician * Archibald Macne ...

kindred. Most authorities cite the meaning of Neil in the context of a surname as meaning "champion".

Origins

The Gaelic name was adopted by the Vikings and taken to Iceland as ''Njáll'' (see

Nigel Nigel ( ) is an English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walter Scott published '' The F ...

). From Iceland it went via Norway, Denmark, and Normandy to England. The name also entered

Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

directly from Ireland, and from Norwegian settlers. ''Neal'' or ''Neall'' is the Middle English form of ''Nigel''. As a first name, during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the Gaelic name of Irish origins was popular in Ireland and later Scotland. During the 20th century ''Neil'' began to be used in England and North America, and grew in popularity throughout the

English-speaking world The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English language, English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the ...

; however, in England, it has recently been eclipsed by the Gaelic form. The surname ''Neil'' is a reduced form of the surname '' McNeil'' (from the Gaelic ''Mac Néill'', "son of ''Niall''"), or variant form the surname of

Neill Neill is an Irish surname, and may refer to * A. S. Neill (1883-1973), British educator and author * Alan Webster Neill (1868-1960), Canadian politician * Alec Neill (b.1950), New Zealand politician * Ben Neill (b.1957), American composer * Bo ...

(from the Irish ''Ó Néill'' and Mac Néill or the Scottish Gaelic ''Mac Néill'', meaning "descendant of ''Niall''" and "son of ''Niall''"). The name passed from Ireland to Scotland where it had the ''Mc/Mac'' prefix a prefix that already existed in the Irish surname such as

Lóegaire mac Néill Lóegaire also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king lists include him as a King of Tara or High King of Ireland. He appears as an adversary of Saint Patrick in several hagiographies. His ...

. Some Scottish McNeills returned to Ireland in the 14th century and are associated with ''MacNeill'', ''MacGreal'', ''MacReill'', and ''Mag Reil'' surnames. The Manx version of the name is ''Kneal'' (1598), ''Kneale'' (1655), or ''Kneel'' (1636). It evolved from McNelle (1408) and MacNeyll (1430) becoming Kneal by 1598.A W Moore, Manx Names, London 1903

Variants

Variants of the given name include ''Neale'' and ''Neal''. The table below sets out the various surnames derived from ''Niall'' and ''Nial''.

Notable people with the given name

Neil Abercrombie Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. Born in Buffalo, New York, Abercrombie is a ...

(born 1938), former Governor of Hawaii and U.S. Representative * Neil Anderson (cricketer) (born 1979), Irish cricketer, right-handed batsman and a left-arm spin bowler *

Neil Armstrong (disambiguation) Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer who, in 1969, became the Apollo 11#Lunar surface operations, first person to walk on the ...

, several people **

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer who, in 1969, became the Apollo 11#Lunar surface operations, first person to walk on the Moon. He was al ...

(1930–2012), American astronaut *

Neil Bogart Neil E. Bogart (born Neil Scott Bogatz, February 3, 1943 – May 8, 1982) was an American record executive. He was the founder of Casablanca Records, which later became Casablanca Record and Filmworks. Life and career Born Neil Scott Bogatz i ...

(1943–1982), American music executive *

Neil Breen Neil Breen is an American filmmaker and actor. Since 2005, he has made six feature films in which he acts as director, writer, producer and lead star, while being in charge of most other key crew positions. He usually finances his films himself ...

, American filmmaker and actor *

Neil Brewer Neil Brewer (born 15 July 1954) is an English musician, who is best known for being a member of the 1970s rock band Druid and for presenting the last four series of '' Rosie and Jim''. Brewer played the role of a musical narrowboat owner, who ...

(born 1954), English musician and singer-songwriter *

Neil Buchanan Neil Buchanan (born October 1956) is an English artist, photographer, and musician, best known for his work on British children's television. During his tenure as a children's television presenter, he hosted the CITV programme '' Art Attack'', ...

(born 1961), English television presenter, artist and musician *

Neil Callan Neil Callan is an Irish horse racing jockey. He was the British flat racing Champion Apprentice in 1999. He has been ranked in the top echelon of riders on the UK jockeys' championship and has finished runner-up in 2005 (151 wins) and 2007 (170 ...

, Irish horse racing jockey *

Neil Carmichael, Baron Carmichael of Kelvingrove Neil George Carmichael, Baron Carmichael of Kelvingrove (10 October 1921 – 19 July 2001) was a Scottish politician. He was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) in Glasgow from 1962 to 1983. Early life Carmichael was the son of James Carmi ...

(1921–2001), British Labour Party politician, MP in Glasgow 1962–1983 *

Neil Carmichael (English politician) William Neil Carmichael (born 15 April 1961) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stroud from 2010 until 2017. In April 2019, he announced he had left the Conservative Party; he subsequently joined Chang ...

(born 1961), English businessman and academic, MP for Stroud 2010–2017 *

Neil Cicierega Neil Stephen Cicierega ( ; born August 23, 1986) is an American musician, filmmaker, YouTuber, and animator. He is known as the creator of '' Potter Puppet Pals'', " The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny", and various music albums under the ...

(born 1986), American artist and Internet personality *

Neil Clarke (disambiguation) Neil Clarke or Clark may refer to: * Neil Clarke (soccer), Scottish-American soccer player * Neil Clarke (editor) (born 1966), American editor * Neil Clarke (Australian footballer) (1957–2003), Australian rules footballer * Neil Clark (musician) ...

, several people, including those named Neil Clark *

Neil Clark Warren Neil Clark Warren (born September 18, 1934) is an American clinical psychologist, Christian theologian, seminary professor and co-founder of the online relationship sites eHarmony and Compatible Partners. In 1995, Warren and his son-in-la ...

(born 1934), American psychologist and theologian *

Neil Codling Neil John Codling (born 5 December 1973) is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and co-songwriter for the alternative rock band Suede. Early life Neil Codling was raised in St ...

(born 1973), English musician, member of the band Suede * Neil Cole (disambiguation), several people *

Neil Coleta Mark Neilson Mañosca Coleta (born August 4, 1991), popularly known as Neil Coleta, is a Filipino actor and TV host. He appeared in the TV series Growing Up and 100 Days to Heaven. Personal life Coleta graduated from Adamson University. I ...

(born 1991), Filipino actor and TV host *

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

(born 1941), American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor *

Neil Druckmann Neil Druckmann (; born December5, 1978) is an Israeli–American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer. He is the studio head and head of creative of the video game developer Naughty Dog, and is best known for his work on the g ...

(born 1978), Israeli-American video game designer and head of creative of

Naughty Dog Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. G ...

* Neil Farrell Jr. (born 1998), American football player *

Neil Fairbrother Neil Fairbrother (born Neil Harvey Fairbrother; 9 September 1963) is an English former cricketer who played 75 One Day International matches and 10 Test matches as a batsman for England. Fairbrother, named by his mother after her favourite playe ...

(born 1963), English cricketer *

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

(born 1960), English author *

Neil Gorsuch Neil McGill Gorsuch ( ; born August 29, 1967) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court ...

(born 1967), Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States *

Neil Hannon Edward Neil Anthony Hannon (born 7 November 1970) is a singer and songwriter from Northern Ireland. He is the founder and frontman of the chamber pop group the Divine Comedy, and is the band's only constant member since its inception in 1989. H ...

(born 1970), Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician *

Neale Hanvey James Neale Hanvey (born 28 December 1964) is a Scottish nationalist politician who has been deputy leader of the Alba Party since March 2025. Previously, Hanvey was leader of the Alba Party in the House of Commons from 2021 to 2024, and served ...

(born 1964), Scottish politician *

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

(born 1973), American actor *

Neil Harrison (disambiguation) Neil Harrison (born 1950) is a British musician and dramatist. Neil Harrison may also refer to: * Neil Harrison (umpire) (born 1962), English cricket umpire * Neil Harrison (curler) (1949–2014), Canadian curler * Neil P. Harrison (born 1967 ...

, several people *

Neil Hoffman Neil J. Hoffman (born ), is an American educator, and academic administrator. He served as a college and art school president for multiple educational organizations. Hoffman served as president of School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) fr ...

(), American academic administrator, educator, college president *

Neil Innes Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian and musician. He first came to prominence in the comedy rock group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later became a frequent collaborator with the Monty Py ...

(1944–2019), English writer, comedian and musician, member of the Rutles, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band * Neil Jenkins (disambiguation), several people * Neil Johnson (disambiguation), several people *

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish filmmaker and writer. He first achieved recognition for his short story collection, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia,'' which won the Guardian Fiction Prize in ...

(born 1950), Irish filmmaker * Neil Kenlock (born 1950), Jamaican-born photographer *

Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a Welsh politician who was Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 Labour Party le ...

(born 1942), British politician, and former leader of the Labour Party *

Neil Lennon Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He currently manages Scottish Championship club Dunfermline Athletic. During his playing career he represe ...

(born 1971), Northern Irish football coach and former player *

Neil Lumsden Neil James Lumsden (born December 19, 1952) is a Canadian politician and retired professional football player. Lumsden was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He serves as Minister of Sport. Lumsden ...

(born 1952), Canadian politician and football player *

Neil Lyndon Neil Alexander Lyndon (born Neil Alexander Barnacle; 12 September 1946) is a British journalist and writer. He has written for ''The Sunday Times'', ''The Times'', ''The Independent'', the ''Evening Standard'' the ''Daily Mail'' and the ''Tele ...

(born 1946), British journalist and author *

Neil MacGregor Robert Neil MacGregor (born 16 June 1946) is a British art historian and former museum director. He was editor of the '' Burlington Magazine'' from 1981 to 1987, then Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1987 to 2002, Director of th ...

(born 1946), British art historian * Neil Martin (disambiguation), several people *

Neil McGregor (disambiguation) Neil McGregor (born 1985) is a Scottish footballer. Neil McGregor may also refer to * Neil McGregor (film director), Australian film director * Neil McGregor (rugby union), 1901–1973, New Zealand rugby player See also * Neil MacGregor, (born ...

, several people * Neil McMenemy (born 1967), Scottish triple jumper * Neil McVicar (politician), Canadian politician *

Neil Nitin Mukesh Neil Nitin Mukesh Chand Mathur (born 15 January 1982) is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter known for his work in Hindi films. He is the son of playback singer Nitin Mukesh and grandson of singer Mukesh. He debuted as a child artist ...

(born 1982), Indian actor * Neil O'Brien (disambiguation), several people * Neil Patel (designer), Welsh-American production designer * Neil Patel (political advisor), American publisher and co-founder of ''The Daily Caller'' *

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...

(1952–2020), Canadian drummer and lyricist of the rock band Rush *

Neil Perry Neil Arthur Perry Order of Australia, AM is an Australian chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter. He also is the co-ordinator for Qantas Flight Catering under his company Rockpool Consulting. Early life and education Perry was b ...

(born 1957), Australian chef * Neil Perry (cricketer) (born 1958), English cricketer * Neil Prakash (born 1991), Australian terrorist *

Neil Reid (disambiguation) Neil Reid (born 1959) is a Scottish former child singing star. Neil Reid may also refer to: * D. Neil Reid (1900–1981), American politician * Neil E. Reid (1871–1956), American jurist * ''Neil Reid'' (album), a 1972 album by Neil Reid See als ...

, several people *

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

(born 1939), American musician *

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

(1927–2018), American playwright *

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assist ...

(born 1954), British singer-songwriter of Pet Shop Boys * Neil Turk (born 1987), English cricketer *

Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysics, astrophysicist, author, and science communication, science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia Univ ...

(born 1958), American astrophysicist, author and science communicator *

Neil Wagner Neil Wagner (born 13 March 1986) is a New Zealand former Test cricketer who played for New Zealand and Northern Districts cricket teams. He played for Northerns until 2007/08 and Otago between 2008 and 2018. Wagner was a member of the New Zea ...

(born 1986), South African-born New Zealand cricketer * Neil Walker (disambiguation), several people * Neil Young (disambiguation), several people

People with the surname

Alex Neil (politician) Alexander Neil (born 22 August 1951) is a Scottish politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing from 2012 to 2014 and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights from 2014 to 2016. A member o ...

(born 1951), Scottish politician * Alexandra Neil (born 1955), American actress *

Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on the BBC and on Channel 4. Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire ...

(born 1949), Scottish journalist and broadcaster *

Chris Neil Chris Neil (born June 18, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger. Neil was drafted in the sixth round, 161st overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, and played his entire NHL ca ...

(born 1979), Canadian professional ice hockey player * Chris Neal (disambiguation) (and variants), several people *

Dan Neil (American football) Daniel Patrick Neil (born October 21, 1973) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire eight-year career as an guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the ...

(born 1973), American football player *

Dan Neil (journalist) Dan Neil is an American journalist, widely known an automotive columnist for ''The Wall Street Journal'' and a former staff writer at the ''Los Angeles Times'', '' AutoWeek'' and ''Car and Driver.'' He was a panelist on 2011's ''The Car Show'' ...

(born 1960), automobile columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times'' *

Fred Neil Fred Neil (born Frederick Ralph Morlock Jr.; March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an American folk singer-songwriter active in the 1960s and early 1970s. He is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularl ...

(1936–2001), American singer and songwriter * María Fernanda Neil (born 1982), Argentine actress and model *

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

(born 1947), New Zealand actor *

Sara Neil Sara Louise Neil (born 2 September 1960) is a Canadian retired road bicycle racer, who won the bronze medal in the women's individual road race at the 1987 Pan American Games. A resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, she represented Canada at ...

(born 1960), Canadian cyclist *

Tom Neil Thomas Francis "Ginger" Neil, (14 July 1920 – 11 July 2018) was a British aviator, fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force. Neil flew during the Battle of Britain, and shot down 14 enemy aircraft during the Second World War. Early ...

(1920–2018), British fighter pilot *

Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 formation until his departure in 1992. Neil reunited with the ...

(born 1961), singer for American metal band Mötley Crüe

Fictional characters

*Neil "The Good Looking", from the Canadian animated series ''

Class of the Titans ''Class of the Titans'' is a Canadian animated television series produced by Studio B Productions and Nelvana Limited. It premiered on December 31, 2005, at 5 pm ET/PT, on Teletoon with a special 90-minute presentation of the first three e ...

'' *Neil the Boxtank engine, from ''

The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Sodor (fictional island), Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by Wi ...

'' books by Rev. W.V. Awdry * Neil Goldman, from the ''Family Guy'' animated comedy series *Neil Josten, chaotic king, from Nora Sakavic's book series ''All for the Game'' * *Neil Pye, from the British TV sitcom '' The Young Ones'' * Neil, character from the game Coffee Talk * Neil Nordegraf, from

Scott Pilgrim ''Scott Pilgrim'' is a series of graphic novels by Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O'Malley. The original edition of the series consists of six digest size black-and-white volumes, released between August 2004 and July 2010, by P ...

*Neil Watts, from To The Moon *Neil Perry, from

Dead Poets Society ''Dead Poets Society'' is a 1989 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman. The film, starring Robin Williams, is set in 1959 at a fictional elite boarding school called Welton Academy, and tells ...

References

{{given name, type=both English masculine given names Masculine given names Irish masculine given names Scottish masculine given names