Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1994

Nigel

Meaning slightly black Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #2,088 Trend ↓ Falling 30%

English form of Latin Nigellus, from nigellus (“slightly black”), diminutive of niger (“black”), used in the Middle Ages to Latinize Norman Néel and Old Irish Níall…

Rank 2025
#2,088
among boys · ↑117 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
71
named Nigel · +8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 24,057
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1994
455 babies
All-time total
12,371
#1,072 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Nigel popularity over time

12,371 babies have been named Nigel since 1915, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 11 – 11 1 – –
1920s 6 6 12 1 +9% #3,834
1930s – 12 12 1 0% #3,197
1940s – 34 34 3 +183% #2,734
1950s – 171 171 17 +403% #1,474
1960s – 317 317 32 +85% #1,047
1970s 38 1,088 1,126 113 +255% #705
1980s 11 1,952 1,963 196 +74% #579
1990s 19 3,791 3,810 381 +94% #478
2000s – 2,845 2,845 285 -25% #577
2010s – 1,615 1,615 162 -43% #935
2020s (to 2025) – 455 455 76 -53% #1,735

Where Nigel 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 67 0.04 outside top 500
2027 63 0.04 outside top 500
2028 60 0.04 outside top 500
2029 58 0.03 outside top 500
2030 56 0.03 outside top 500

Where Nigel is most popular

Boys named Nigel per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.043 per 1,000. Strongest in South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia.

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 Nigel 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
South Carolina 11 0.106 +145%
Georgia 22 0.087 +100%
Virginia 11 0.058 +34%
New York 21 0.049 +12%
Alabama 5 0.046 +5%
Florida 21 0.044 ≈ national
Indiana 5 0.031 -28%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -43%
Texas 21 0.024 -45%
North Carolina 6 0.023 -46%
California 20 0.022 -50%
Ohio 5 0.019 -57%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Nigel

Nigel is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,088 in 2025 with 71 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 12,371 American babies have been named Nigel. Its peak came in 1994, when 455 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Nigel?

The median living Nigel is about 29 years old; half are between 19 and 37. An estimated 12 thousand people named Nigel are alive in the United States today.

median 29 020406080100

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

Nigel year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 71 #2,088
2024 – – 66 #2,205
2023 – – 73 #2,057
2022 – – 71 #2,111
2021 – – 94 #1,735
2020 – – 80 #1,865
2019 – – 108 #1,559
2018 – – 125 #1,405
2017 – – 150 #1,227
2016 – – 146 #1,260
2015 – – 173 #1,115
2014 – – 155 #1,195
2013 – – 170 #1,094
2012 – – 178 #1,068
2011 – – 194 #1,003
2010 – – 216 #935
2009 – – 249 #859
2008 – – 271 #811
2007 – – 303 #742
2006 – – 309 #709
2005 – – 276 #735
2004 – – 237 #766
2003 – – 266 #708
2002 – – 280 #668
2001 – – 305 #623
2000 – – 349 #577
1995 – – 405 #507
1990 – – 315 #571
1985 6 #10,239 194 #632
1980 – – 165 #676
1975 7 #7,714 132 #722
1970 – – 56 #1,099
1965 – – 27 #1,504
1960 – – 22 #1,755
1955 – – 26 #1,528
1950 – – 9 #2,716
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 6 #4,813 – –
1920 – – – –
1915 5 #4,778 – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Nigel

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

  1. 1 Nigel Farage Nigel Farage British politician and broadcaster (born 1964) Contemporary
  2. 2 Nigel Havers Nigel Havers British actor and presenter (born 1951) Contemporary
  3. 3 Nigel Mansell Nigel Mansell British racing driver (born 1953) Contemporary
  4. 4 Nigel Hawthorne Nigel Hawthorne English actor (1929–2001) Contemporary
  5. 5 Nigel Clough Nigel Clough English football manager and former player b. 1966 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Nigel Lawson Nigel Lawson British politician (1932–2023) Contemporary
  7. 7 Nigel Davenport Nigel Davenport English actor (1928–2013) Contemporary
  8. 8 Nigel Terry Nigel Terry English actor (1945–2015) Contemporary
  9. 9 Nigel Bruce Nigel Bruce British actor (1895–1953) 19th century
  10. 10 Nigel de Jong Nigel de Jong Dutch association football player (born 1984) Contemporary
  11. 11 Nigel Godrich Nigel Godrich English producer and musician (born 1971) Contemporary
  12. 12 Nigel Martyn English footballer (born 1966) Contemporary
  13. 13 Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy English musician (born 1956) Contemporary
  14. 14 Nigel Pearson Nigel Pearson English football manager (born 1963) Contemporary
  15. 15 Nigel Reo-Coker Nigel Reo-Coker English footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  16. 16 Nigel Olsson Nigel Olsson English drummer (born 1949) Contemporary
  17. 17 Nigel Winterburn Nigel Winterburn English footballer (born 1963) Contemporary
  18. 18 Nigel Short Nigel Short English chess grandmaster (born 1965) Contemporary
  19. 19 Nigel Marven Nigel Marven British television presenter (born 1960) Contemporary
  20. 20 Nigel Adkins Nigel Adkins English footballer and manager b. 1965 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Nigel?

The median living Nigel is about 29 years old. Half of all living Nigels are between 19 and 37 years old.

How many people named Nigel are alive today?

An estimated 12 thousand people named Nigel are alive in the United States, based on 12,371 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Nigel mean?

English form of Latin Nigellus, from nigellus (“slightly black”), diminutive of niger (“black”), used in the Middle Ages to Latinize Norman Néel and Old Irish Níall, from which the former is derived via Old Norse Njáll.

How popular is the name Nigel in 2025?

Nigel ranked #2,088 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 71 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nigel?

12,371 babies have been named Nigel in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nigel most popular?

Nigel peaked in 1994, when 455 newborns received the name.

Is Nigel a boy or girl name?

Nigel is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Nigel rising or falling?

Nigel is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Nigel become more popular?

Nigel is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 56 boys named Nigel 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 Nigel?

Well-known people named Nigel include Nigel Farage (politician), Nigel Havers (actor), Nigel Mansell (racing driver).

Names like Nigel

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

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