The story behind Niall
Borrowed from Irish Niall or Scottish Gaelic Niall, ultimately from Old Irish Níall, of uncertain original meaning. Suggestions include nél (“cloud”) and nïa (“champion”), which is from Proto-Indo-European *h₃neyd- (“to revile”). Doublet of Neil.
Other language forms and explanations (2)
Irish entry
From Old Irish Níall, of uncertain original meaning. Suggestions include nél (“cloud”) and nïa (“champion”).
Scottish Gaelic entry
From Old Irish Níall, of uncertain original meaning. Suggestions include nél (“cloud”) and nïa (“champion”).
Pronunciation
English; dialect unspecified: /ˈnaɪəl/
Regional pronunciation variants
- English; dialect unspecified: /niːl/
- Irish: [n̠ʲiəl̪ˠ]
- Scottish Gaelic; Lewis: /ɲĩɤ̃l̪ˠ/
- Scottish Gaelic; Lewis: [ɲĩʊ̃l̪ˠ]
- Scottish Gaelic: /ɲial̪ˠ/
Popularity
Niall ranked #1706 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Niall
Neal
A male given name, variant of Neil.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends L
- same syllable count
- similar length
Neil
Anglicized form of Goidelic/Irish Niall. Doublet of Niall.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends L
- same syllable count
- similar length
Neill
Variant spelling of Neil, anglicised form of Goidelic/Irish Niall.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends L
- same syllable count
- similar length
Njáll
From Old Norse Njáll, from Old Irish Níall.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends L
- same syllable count
- similar length
Pòl
From Old Irish Pól, from Latin Paulus.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends L
- same syllable count
- similar length
Nīl
Borrowed from Sanskrit नील (nīla).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends L
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Niall
Adhamhnán
From Old Irish Adomnán (“little Adam”).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Aeddan
a male given name from Old Irish áed (“fire”), equivalent to English Aidan, Irish Áedan or Aodhán, or Latin Aidanus
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Aidano
From English Aidan, from Irish Aodhán.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends O
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Niall
Aeddan
a male given name from Old Irish áed (“fire”), equivalent to English Aidan, Irish Áedan or Aodhán, or Latin Aidanus
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Aidan
Name of an Irish saint, Anglicized from Irish Aodhán and Scottish Gaelic Aodhan, diminutives of Aodh (literally "fire", the name of a Celtic sun god).
- Gender
- mixed
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Aidano
From English Aidan, from Irish Aodhán.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends O
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length