Nevil
A masculine name of Old French origin with disputed meanings, possibly meaning "nephew" or "new town".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Nevil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nevil today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nevil births was 1922 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nevil. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Nevil is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Nevils were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nevil. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1922
6 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1965 SSA rank
#4,273
Tracked since 1914
Census
Nevil in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 253 people with the first name Nevil, which placed it at #32,947 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#32,947
National first-name rank
People counted
253
253 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
33.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nevil
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nevil is Asian/Pacific Islander at 33.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.2%) and Black (19.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nevil described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nevil at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander33.6% · 85
- White31.2% · 79
- Black or African American19.4% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino14.6% · 37
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Nevil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nevil from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Nevil remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nevil by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nevil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nevil
The name Nevil is an English name with its origins rooted in the Norman-French language. It is derived from the Old French word "neveu," which means "nephew." The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 11th century, shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
This name gained prominence during the Middle Ages, particularly among the nobility and ruling classes. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Nevil de Longchamps, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion of England in 1066.
In the 12th century, the powerful Neville family, which played a significant role in English politics and warfare, emerged. The family's name was derived from the Norman form of the name, "Neville." Notable members of this family included Robert de Neville (c. 1170-1194), a prominent English baron and military leader during the reign of King Richard I.
The name Nevil has also been associated with religious figures throughout history. One such example is Nevil Maskelyne (1732-1811), an English astronomer and the fifth Astronomer Royal. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and played a crucial role in the development of modern timekeeping.
Another notable bearer of the name was Nevil Shute (1899-1960), an English novelist and aeronautical engineer. He is best known for his novels set during World War II, such as "A Town Like Alice" and "On the Beach," which explored themes of courage, resilience, and the human condition.
In the literary world, Nevil Shute Norway (1924-2003), an English novelist and playwright, carried on the tradition of his namesake. He is renowned for his works that explored social issues and the complexities of human relationships.
While the name Nevil has its roots in the Middle Ages and was once popular among the nobility, it has since become less common in modern times. However, its rich historical significance and association with notable figures continue to make it a unique and intriguing name choice.
People
Nevil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nevil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nevil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nevil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nevil going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Nevil a common name?
We classify Nevil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nevil most popular?
The single biggest year for Nevil was 1922, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nevil is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nevil in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 253 people with the name Nevil, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,947 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nevil in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nevil?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nevil leans strongly male. 241 people counted with this name were male (94.9%), compared with 13 female bearers (5.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nevil?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nevil is Asian/Pacific Islander at 33.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.2%) and Black (19.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nevil most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nevil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.6% (85 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nevil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nevil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nevil in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nevil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nevil in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nevil can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Nevil?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.