Neil: Information from Answers.com

For people named Neil, see Neil (name). For other uses, see Neil (disambiguation).

Neil is a masculine given name of Gaelic origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Niall which is of disputed origin and meaning. The Gaelic name possibly means "cloud", "passionate", or "champion". The Gaelic name was also adopted by the Norse, taking the form Njál (see Nigel). During the Middle Ages, the Gaelic name was popular in Ireland, the Highlands of Scotland, and Anglo-Scottish border area. During the 20th century Neil was grown in popularity throughout the English speaking world; however, in England, it has recently been eclipsed by the Gaelic form.^[1]

The surname Neil is a reduced form of the surname McNeil (from the Gaelic Mac Néill, "son of Niall"), or variant form the surname of Neill (from the Irish Gaelic Ó Néill or the Scottish Gaelic Mac Néill, meaning "descendant of Niall" and "son of Niall".^[2]^[3]^[4]

Variants of the given name include: Neale, Neal and Kneale.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Hardcastle, Kate. ed. Oxford Dictionary of Names (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 203, 204. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
^ "Neil Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Neil-name-meaning.ashx. Retrieved August 3, 2009. For the etymology of the surname Neil this web page cites: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
^ "Neill Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Neill-name-meaning.ashx. Retrieved August 3, 2009. For the etymology of the surname Neill this web page cites: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
^ "McNeil Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/facts/McNeil-name-meaning.ashx. Retrieved August 3, 2009. For the etymology of the surname McNeil this web page cites: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.

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