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Nigel

“Slightly black” — Latin origin

Boy's name · #2088 in the US (2025) · 90s

Nigel's best rank, #478, came in 1994; it has settled back to #2088 today. Roughly 12,000 boys have been named Nigel since 1929.

Around the world: about 1 in 5,900 boys in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 13,000 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Nigels

• Nigel Farage — British right-wing politician (born 1964)
• 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)

In stories & tradition

• Nigel Wolpert — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire · Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Nigel Pinchley — Family Guy
• Nigel Tufnel — This Is Spinal Tap

What Nigels become

Among 1,104 notable people named Nigel:

Sports figures appear 1.33× more often than among typical names — e.g. Nigel Mansell, British racing driver (born 1953).

Similar names: Donte · Neymar · Marquise · Tyrell · Cordell · Terrell

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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