Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2024

Niall

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,706 Trend ↑ Rising 34%

Borrowed from Irish Niall or Scottish Gaelic Niall, ultimately from Old Irish Níall, of uncertain original meaning.

Rank 2025
#1,706
among boys · ↓128 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
96
named Niall · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,792
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
110 babies
All-time total
2,094
#3,215 all-time among boys
First recorded
1955
in Social Security records

Niall popularity over time

2,094 babies have been named Niall since 1955, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2024Boys

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.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 24 2 – #3,498
1960s 68 7 +183% #2,281
1970s 101 10 +49% #2,441
1980s 140 14 +39% #2,396
1990s 335 34 +139% #1,788
2000s 327 33 -2% #2,563
2010s 576 58 +76% #1,668
2020s (to 2025) 523 87 +51% #1,578

Where Niall is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 100 0.06 outside top 500
2027 103 0.06 outside top 500
2028 106 0.06 outside top 500
2029 109 0.06 outside top 500
2030 111 0.07 outside top 500

Where Niall is most popular

Boys named Niall per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.053 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.

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 Niall 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 29 0.109 +106%
New York 38 0.088 +66%
Massachusetts 12 0.087 +65%
California 51 0.056 +5%
Wisconsin 6 0.051 ≈ national
Illinois 11 0.043 -19%
Ohio 11 0.042 -22%
Virginia 7 0.037 -30%
Texas 18 0.020 -61%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -63%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Niall

Niall is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,706 in 2025 with 96 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1955, 2,094 American babies have been named Niall. Its peak came in 2024, when 110 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Niall stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Niall?

The median living Niall is about 13 years old; half are between 5 and 29. An estimated 2,000 people named Niall are alive in the United States today.

median 13 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Niall year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 96 #1,706
2024 110 #1,578
2023 90 #1,799
2022 77 #1,992
2021 84 #1,850
2020 66 #2,129
2019 68 #2,122
2018 96 #1,668
2017 76 #1,908
2016 53 #2,429
2015 55 #2,380
2014 64 #2,150
2013 69 #2,004
2012 43 #2,805
2011 34 #3,286
2010 18 #5,182
2009 22 #4,546
2008 33 #3,402
2007 33 #3,363
2006 35 #3,135
2005 28 #3,504
2004 34 #2,998
2003 39 #2,606
2002 32 #2,925
2001 34 #2,774
2000 37 #2,563
1995 31 #2,481
1990 26 #2,597
1985 8 #5,020
1980 11 #3,771
1975 12 #3,184
1970 14 #2,595
1965 – –
1960 6 #3,937
1955 5 #4,222
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Niall

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Niall Horan Niall Horan Irish singer, songwriter and musician (born 1993) Contemporary
  2. 2 Niall Ferguson Niall Ferguson Scottish historian (born 1964) Contemporary
  3. 3 Niall Matter Niall Matter Canadian-American actor (born 1980) Contemporary
  4. 4 Niall Quinn Niall Quinn Irish association football player and manager b. 1966 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Niall McGinn Niall McGinn Northern Irish professional footballer (born 1987) Contemporary
  6. 6 Niall Killoran Japanese-Irish footballer b. 1992 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Niall, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Niall?

The median living Niall is about 13 years old. Half of all living Nialls are between 5 and 29 years old.

How many people named Niall are alive today?

An estimated 2,000 people named Niall are alive in the United States, based on 2,094 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Niall mean?

Borrowed from Irish Niall or Scottish Gaelic Niall, ultimately from Old Irish Níall, of uncertain original meaning.

How popular is the name Niall in 2025?

Niall ranked #1,706 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 96 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Niall?

2,094 babies have been named Niall in the United States since 1955, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Niall most popular?

Niall peaked in 2024, when 110 newborns received the name.

Is Niall a boy or girl name?

Niall is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Niall rising or falling?

Niall is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Niall become more popular?

Niall is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 111 boys named Niall in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Niall?

Well-known people named Niall include Niall Horan (singer), Niall Ferguson (historian), Niall Matter (actor).

Names like Niall

Names that sound and feel close to Niall: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Niall with similar names → More names starting with N →