Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Nile

Gender Unisex · 9% girls Rank 2025 #1,848 Trend ↑ Rising 14%
Rank 2025
#1,848
among boys · ↑100 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
94
named Nile · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 19,861
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
159 babies
All-time total
4,066
#2,215 all-time among boys
First recorded
1895
in Social Security records

Nile popularity over time

4,066 babies have been named Nile since 1895, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 17 17 2 – #950
1900s – 13 13 1 -24% #980
1910s – 177 177 18 +1262% #1,207
1920s – 251 251 25 +42% #1,324
1930s – 216 216 22 -14% #1,262
1940s – 235 235 24 +9% #1,045
1950s – 171 171 17 -27% #1,497
1960s – 136 136 14 -20% #1,955
1970s 5 125 130 13 -4% #2,290
1980s 13 213 226 23 +74% #2,099
1990s 60 456 516 52 +128% #1,640
2000s 99 454 553 55 +7% #2,000
2010s 112 648 760 76 +37% #1,855
2020s (to 2025) 81 584 665 111 +46% #1,421

Where Nile 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 88 0.05 outside top 500
2027 89 0.05 outside top 500
2028 91 0.05 outside top 500
2029 92 0.05 outside top 500
2030 93 0.05 outside top 500

Where Nile is most popular

Boys named Nile per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.058 per 1,000. Strongest in Iowa, Georgia, and Florida.

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 Nile 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
Iowa 12 0.174 +202%
Georgia 24 0.095 +64%
Florida 34 0.072 +25%
Pennsylvania 18 0.068 +18%
Virginia 12 0.063 +10%
New York 27 0.062 +8%
California 46 0.050 -13%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -15%
Texas 38 0.043 -25%
North Carolina 11 0.043 -25%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -27%
Maryland 5 0.042 -27%
Missouri 5 0.036 -37%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -57%
Illinois 5 0.020 -66%
Ohio 5 0.019 -67%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
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 Nile

Nile is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,848 in 2025 with 86 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1895, 4,066 American babies have been named Nile, about 91% boys and 9% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 159 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 Nile stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nile?

The median living Nile is about 19 years old; half are between 7 and 33. An estimated 3,200 people named Nile are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

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

Nile 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 8 #11,642 86 #1,848
2024 10 #10,054 81 #1,948
2023 7 #13,089 92 #1,770
2022 16 #7,204 110 #1,605
2021 30 #4,579 129 #1,421
2020 10 #10,075 86 #1,773
2019 10 #10,273 75 #1,971
2018 15 #7,662 75 #1,971
2017 14 #8,171 58 #2,289
2016 13 #8,743 81 #1,855
2015 16 #7,512 56 #2,341
2014 15 #7,962 72 #1,992
2013 13 #8,928 49 #2,514
2012 7 #14,601 66 #2,085
2011 9 #11,909 51 #2,466
2010 – – 65 #2,087
2009 8 #13,362 43 #2,831
2008 7 #14,971 48 #2,616
2007 14 #8,879 53 #2,429
2006 7 #14,706 48 #2,530
2005 10 #10,716 45 #2,516
2004 17 #7,015 28 #3,429
2003 8 #12,089 47 #2,300
2002 7 #13,248 44 #2,359
2001 11 #9,196 54 #2,000
2000 10 #9,685 44 #2,244
1995 6 #12,893 56 #1,640
1990 6 #12,435 28 #2,473
1985 – – 18 #2,795
1980 – – 26 #2,099
1975 5 #10,102 14 #2,864
1970 – – 10 #3,210
1965 – – 11 #2,577
1960 – – 16 #2,096
1955 – – 16 #2,024
1950 – – 24 #1,525
1945 – – 16 #1,744
1940 – – 39 #1,045
1935 – – 12 #2,211
1930 – – 26 #1,453
1925 – – 31 #1,324
1920 – – 19 #1,862
1915 – – 30 #1,207
1910 – – 5 #1,776
1905 – – 8 #980
1900 – – – –
1895 – – 5 #1,202
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Nile

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

  1. 1 Nile Rodgers Nile Rodgers American guitarist (born 1952) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Nile?

The median living Nile is about 19 years old. Half of all living Niles are between 7 and 33 years old.

How many people named Nile are alive today?

An estimated 3,200 people named Nile are alive in the United States, based on 4,066 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Nile in 2025?

Nile ranked #1,848 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 86 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nile?

4,066 babies have been named Nile in the United States since 1895, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nile most popular?

Nile peaked in 2021, when 159 newborns received the name.

Is Nile a boy or girl name?

Nile is used for both: about 9% of babies named Nile have been girls and 91% boys.

Is the name Nile rising or falling?

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

Will Nile become more popular?

Nile is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 93 boys named Nile 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 Nile?

Well-known people named Nile include Nile Rodgers (singer).

Names like Nile

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

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