Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Nil as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nil

♡Add to my Name List

The baby name Nil is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /niːl/ (neel) — Turkish, Hindi,/nɪl/ (nil) — English,/nil/ (Catalan).

Nil is Catalan, English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Spanish, Turkish in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Catalan, English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Spanish, Turkish
Pronunciation: /niːl/ (neel) — Turkish, Hindi,/nɪl/ (nil) — English,/nil/ (Catalan)

What is the meaning of the name Nil ?

The baby name Nil is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /niːl/ (neel) — Turkish, Hindi,/nɪl/ (nil) — English,/nil/ (Catalan).

Nil is Catalan, English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Spanish, Turkish in Origin.

Nil is a cross‑cultural given name. In Catalan and Spanish, it is the masculine form rooted in Latin Nilus and Greek Neilos, the name of the Nile River, hence “of the Nile/river.” In Russian ecclesiastical use (Нил), it preserves the same classical source. In Turkish, Nil is a common feminine name referencing the Nile and evoking water imagery. In South Asia, the spelling overlaps with Hindi/Sanskrit nīla “blue,” though Neel is more typical.

Usage is anchored by saints Nilus of Rossano, Nil Sorsky, and Nil Stolobensky in Orthodox calendars. Catalonia revived Nil in the late 20th century, where it has ranked among popular boys’ names. Modern Turkish bearers have boosted its feminine profile. Established variants include Nilo, Nilus, Neilos, and the rare given‑name Nile; not to be confused with Irish Neil/Niall or Scandinavian Nils.

Nil has the following similar or variant Names

Nil – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
BD Girls 0 #5 2,609 8,413
BD 0 #8 684 5,992
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
MV Girls 0 #33 3 2,021
TM Girls 0 #35 1 574
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
MV Boys 0 #57 21 3,375
IN 0 #68 4 2,963
AZ Girls 0 #69 7 1,051
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
BD Boys 0 #78 1,976 10,045
SI 0 #80 1 1,612
AF Girls 0 #84 11 2,402
QA 0 #102 5 7,011
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
OM 0 #114 8 6,215
BN Boys 0 #116 18 6,332
Switzerland Boys 2024 #118 20 1,769
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
CY Boys 0 #129 3 3,473
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
Switzerland Girls 2024 #133 3 1,786
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
OM Girls 0 #146 280 15,987
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
Sweden Boys 2022 #176 7 1,509
Sweden Girls 2022 #178 2 1,568
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
AE 0 #179 9 10,220
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
SI Boys 0 #206 6 3,402
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
AO Girls 0 #214 4 4,575
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
BG Girls 0 #226 6 3,559
AL Girls 0 #227 1 4,141
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
QA Girls 0 #243 74 15,378
AO Boys 0 #247 3 5,568
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
GR Boys 0 #270 4 6,912
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
JO Girls 0 #276 50 7,570
IL 0 #279 4 6,291
SG 0 #280 3 11,010
TW Girls 0 #286 4 8,139
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
KZ Boys 0 #295 2 6,578
JP Boys 0 #299 5 7,909
PE 0 #300 11 6,350
AL Boys 0 #301 3 5,122
SA 0 #306 7 10,560
MU Boys 0 #309 49 8,477
DK Girls 0 #323 7 7,429
BR 0 #329 17 5,969
CN Boys 0 #329 3 9,639
KZ Girls 0 #330 3 5,862
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
PL Boys 0 #337 4 6,459
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
BH 0 #341 215 17,937
MY 0 #349 6 12,352
Spain Boys 0 #354 1,004 5,610
SD Girls 0 #355 4 7,678
HK 0 #356 2 8,483
PT Boys 0 #358 10 7,951
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
MU Girls 0 #359 4 8,539
France Boys 2021 #360 28 2,865
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
PH Boys 0 #367 17 11,440
JO Boys 0 #382 8 7,057
France Girls 2021 #388 18 3,185
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
Spain 0 #404 49 2,326
BO 0 #405 4 6,868
Austria Girls 0 #409 12 1,885
UY Boys 0 #410 4 5,922
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
PH Girls 0 #422 8 13,098
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
OM Boys 0 #434 576 17,948
KW Girls 0 #435 81 19,177
QA Boys 0 #440 276 18,093
TR 0 #444 2,754 19,440
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
SG Boys 0 #446 259 17,960
AE Girls 0 #456 98 20,968
IQ Girls 0 #458 47 11,303
SD Boys 0 #460 7 10,523
RU Boys 0 #462 44 12,621
PT Girls 0 #466 6 7,952
PA Boys 0 #472 10 9,305
ZA 0 #473 2 14,421
IR Girls 0 #481 50 8,334
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
RU Girls 0 #489 10 11,913
GT Boys 0 #497 3 7,625
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
HK Boys 0 #513 15 12,905
PS Girls 0 #513 11 10,981
PA Girls 0 #516 3 9,861
LY 0 #521 15 12,703
PS Boys 0 #524 25 10,655
SG Girls 0 #528 59 18,916
BR Boys 0 #531 233 12,213
UY Girls 0 #535 2 6,731
GT Girls 0 #540 2 7,500
CM Girls 0 #559 2 11,671
IR Boys 0 #561 5 10,162
IL Boys 0 #572 36 10,983
CR Girls 0 #573 1 11,342
AR Girls 0 #575 25 8,289
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
BO Boys 0 #576 17 9,244
KW Boys 0 #586 185 18,755
BO Girls 0 #587 25 9,488
IN Boys 0 #594 446 16,750
IN Girls 0 #596 36 13,121
IL Girls 0 #603 15 11,648
SA Girls 0 #621 324 25,931
LB 0 #642 17 13,263
HK Girls 0 #643 8 16,104
IQ Boys 0 #647 21 13,071
CL Boys 0 #649 17 13,390
Finland Boys 2026 #670 13 3,552
PE Boys 0 #687 195 14,506
Finland Girls 2026 #733 6 3,895
Germany Girls 0 #759 80 4,949
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
BR Girls 0 #784 159 12,708
AE Boys 0 #801 297 22,615
NG Girls 0 #821 6 15,093
SA Boys 0 #842 1,000 28,008
TN 0 #863 3 13,765
EG Boys 0 #873 14 15,035
CO Boys 0 #881 40 15,656
United States Boys 2023 #890 9 7,053
United States Girls 2024 #899 18 8,487
MY Boys 0 #905 208 25,439
CL Girls 0 #913 3 14,098
PE Girls 0 #916 28 14,861
MY Girls 0 #920 75 24,821
Germany Boys 0 #937 16 5,697
NL Girls 0 #937 19 5,933
EG Girls 0 #946 14 14,742
Spain Girls 0 #959 25 5,561
MX Boys 0 #973 10 16,355
NG Boys 0 #995 7 16,906
CO Girls 0 #1,069 10 16,140
MA 0 #1,085 44 20,986
DZ 0 #1,123 54 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,162 17 25,619
ZA Girls 0 #1,228 9 25,928
MX Girls 0 #1,261 7 17,781
IT Boys 0 #1,305 167 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,362 85 9,415

Nil is popular in 80 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Switzerland
Switzerland
United States
Sweden

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Nil

Nil is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Nil is a one syllable name, pronounced /niːl/ (neel) — Turkish, Hindi,/nɪl/ (nil) — English,/nil/ (Catalan).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Neel, Nile, Nila, Nils and Neil.
Across languages, Nil has these equivalents: Nīla / Neel (Sanskrit/Hindi), Nil (Turkish/Catalan), Nile (English), Nils (Scandinavian; similar form).
Yes — Nil ranked #118 in Switzerland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 6 countries.
Nil ranks highest in Switzerland (#118 in 2024).