Neal

Where Neal comes from

The dictionaries list Neal as a given name — a male given name from Irish, transferred from the surname — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

  • Irish
  • 1 syllable
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #252 among boys — 43 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1952
    Peak, #198
    1,143 babies named Neal — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1959
    Neal Stephenson born
    American science fiction writer
  4. 1966
    Neal McDonough born
    American actor
  5. 1972
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #333.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Irish, transferred from the surname.
  • A male given name, variant of Neil.
Namesakes
  • Neal Stephenson · American science fiction writer, born 1959
  • Neal McDonough · American actor, born 1966
  • Neal Maupay · French footballer, born 1996
  • Neal Cassady · American writer, 1926–1968
  • Neal Schon · American guitarist, born 1954

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.