Rank 2025
#1,581
among boys · ↑278 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
108
named Neel · +24% vs 2024
How common
1 in 15,816
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2009
148 babies
All-time total
3,392
#2,337 all-time among boys
First recorded
1918
in Social Security records
By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal
footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.
Where Neel is most popular
Boys named Neel per 1,000 boys born in
each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.053 per 1,000.
Strongest in Washington, New Jersey, and California.
Vs national average well below below near national above well above no data
All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Neel born
2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes
comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.
State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any
state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.
The story of Neel
Neel is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,581 in 2025 with 108 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.
Since 1918, 3,392 American babies have been named Neel. Its peak came in 2009, when 148 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.
The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Neel stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.
