Neil is a given name of Gaelic - that is, Irish or Scottish - origin. The name is a perfection of 'Niall', perhaps derived from the vocative form, 'Nèill'. The name comes into French and Norman-Latin as Nigell -us, originally pronounced almost identically. The name, like many Gaelic names, and was borrowed into Norse, where it became Njál.

The unrelated Indian name 'Neel' (blue) has overlapping variants 'Neal' and 'Neil'. 'Neel' comes from the Sanskrit word Nilakantha (pronounced as neela-kanta), which refers to the hue (sky blue color) of the Hindu deity Shiva's neck as he drinks poison.

The original meaning of 'Neil' in Gaelic is unclear, but Champion or Cloud are the most popular meanings assigned to it today.

Variants

Anglicised variants include

• Neal
• Neale
• Neall
• Neill
• Nellus
• Niel
• Neel
• Nil
• Nigel
• Kneale

Related patronymics

• MacNeil
• Nelson
• O'Neill

People named 'Neil'

First name

• Neil Armstrong (born 1930), American astronaut and the first human ever to set foot on the Moon
• Neil Buchanan (born 1961), British childrens television presenter/artist
• Neil Bush (born 1955), son of former President George H. W. Bush
• Neil Cavuto (born 1958), American television host and commentator on the Fox News Channel
• Neil Cicierega (born 1986), Internet personality, artist, and musician
• Neil Cochran (born 1965), Scottish swimmer
• Neil Cox (born 1971), professional footballer
• Neil Diamond (born 1941), American singer & songwriter
• Neil Eckersley (born 1964), British judoka
• Neil Fairbrother (born 1963), English international cricketer
• Neil Finn (born 1958), singer & songwriter from New Zealand
• Neil Gaiman (born 1960), English author of numerous science fiction and fantasy
• Neil Goldman, writer who has worked for Family Guy and Scrubs
• Neil Hamilton (1899-1984), American actor
• Neil Innes (born 1944), writer, comedic musician and contributor to Monty Python
• Neil Patrick Harris (born 1973), American actor
• Neil Kinnock (born 1942) is a British politician
• Neil McLeod (born 1952), New Zealand field hockey player
• Neil Morrissey (born 1963), British actor/comdeian
• Neil Peart (born 1952), Canadian drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush
• Neil Postman (1931-2003), prominent American educator, media theorist, and cultural critic
• Neil Sedaka (born 1939), American pop singer, pianist, and songwriter
• Neil Simon (born 1927), American playwright and screenwriter
• Neil Strauss, author and journalist for The New York Times and Rolling Stone
• Neil Tennant (born 1954), English musician and member of pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys
• Neil Young (born 1945), Canadian singer & songwriter

Surname

• Alex Neil (born 1951), Scottish politician
• Alexandra Neil (born 1955), American actress
• Andrew Neil (born 1949), Scottish journalist and broadcaster
• Charlie Neil (born 1971), British weather presenter
• Chris Neil (born 1979), Canadian professional ice hockey player
• Dan Neil, automobile columnist for the Los Angeles Times
• Dan Neil (born 1973), American football player
• Fred Neil (1936-2001), American singer and songwriter
• María Fernanda Neil (born 1982), Argentine actress and model
• Mike Neil, software engineer
• Sara Neil (born 1960), Canadian cyclist
• Vince Neil (born 1961), singer for American Metal band Mötley Crüe

In Fiction

• Neil Pye, a character from the British sitcom The Young Ones
• Neil the Boxtank engine, a character from The Railway Series books by Rev. W.V. Awdry
• Neal Page, a character played by Steve Martin in John Hughes' Planes, Trains & Automobiles
• Neil Goldman, a character In the TV series Family Guy. The name also belongs to a writer in the Family Guy series.

See also

• Neill
• Neale, a small village in the south of County Mayo, Ireland
• Neel, the number 10 trillion in the traditional Indian numbering system
• Niel, the Belgian municipality in the province of Antwerp
• O'Neill (also spelled O'Neil, O'Neal)
• Niall of the Nine Hostages
• Njál's saga, one of the medieval, Icelandic epic poems.

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