Neal - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Neal

Neal carries a passport stamped in Gaelic ink, traveling from the Old Irish Niall—most often rendered “champion,” though some lexicons offer “cloud” or “passionate”—to modern registers of English. The name gained trans-Atlantic visibility through the mighty Ó Néill dynasty and, centuries later, through figures such as Antarctic explorer Neal Viking Meadmore and NASA legend Neil Armstrong, whose near-homophone keeps the association with daring exploration alive. In the United States, Neal surged after World War II, reaching its zenith in 1964 with just over 1,100 newborns, then settling into a quiet plateau: roughly 100 babies per year in the 2020s, enough to stay on the charts without becoming ubiquitous. Pronounced simply “neel,” it offers a crisp, one-syllable option that fits as comfortably in a Silicon Valley boardroom as in a Sonoran desert ballad. Compact yet time-tested, Neal blends Celtic grit with a touch of pan-American versatilidad, making it an understated choice for parents seeking heritage without ostentation.