# Nigel (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/nigel/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “slightly black”, “black” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnaɪd͡ʒəl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Nige |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 12,371 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 12,286 / 85 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 433, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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. Compare Neil.

## What it means

Nigel is grouped under black.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1915 | 5 | 4,778 |
| 1918 | 6 | 4,671 |
| 1925 | 6 | 4,813 |
| 1973 | 5 | 9,337 |
| 1974 | 8 | 6,671 |
| 1975 | 7 | 7,714 |
| 1977 | 11 | 5,772 |
| 1978 | 7 | 8,264 |
| 1985 | 6 | 10,239 |
| 1989 | 5 | 13,850 |
| 1991 | 5 | 14,699 |
| 1992 | 7 | 11,332 |
| 1994 | 7 | 11,403 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 194 | 1,003 |
| 2012 | 178 | 1,068 |
| 2013 | 170 | 1,094 |
| 2014 | 155 | 1,195 |
| 2015 | 173 | 1,115 |
| 2016 | 146 | 1,260 |
| 2017 | 150 | 1,227 |
| 2018 | 125 | 1,405 |
| 2019 | 108 | 1,559 |
| 2020 | 80 | 1,865 |
| 2021 | 94 | 1,735 |
| 2022 | 71 | 2,111 |
| 2023 | 73 | 2,057 |
| 2024 | 66 | 2,205 |
| 2025 | 71 | 2,088 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 24 | 1,048 |
| 2009 | 16 | 1,425 |
| 2010 | 18 | 1,344 |
| 2011 | 14 | 1,600 |
| 2012 | 15 | 1,589 |
| 2013 | 8 | 2,403 |
| 2014 | 10 | 2,079 |
| 2015 | 9 | 2,319 |
| 2017 | 11 | 2,052 |
| 2018 | 8 | 2,445 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2,266 |
| 2021 | 8 | 2,493 |
| 2023 | 5 | 3,523 |
| 2024 | 5 | 3,688 |
| 2025 | 5 | 3,684 |

## People named Nigel

- Nigel Mansell, British racing driver (born 1953)
- Nigel de Jong, Dutch association football player (born 1984)
- Nigel Short, English chess player and writer
- Nigel Hawthorne, British actor (1929–2001)
- Nigel Reo-Coker, English association football player (born 1984)
- Nigel Kennedy, British-born violinist and violist (born 1956)
- Nigel Bruce, British actor (1895-1953)
- Nigel Lawson, British peer and politician (1932–2023)
- Nigel Martyn, English footballer (born 1966)
- Nigel Pearson, English association football player and manager (born 1963)
- Nigel Godrich, English record producer and sound engineer
- Nigel Clough, English association football player and manager

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.