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✨ UncommonBoy nameSanskritHindu

Neel

“Blue, sapphire; the blue of Krishna and of Shiva's throat”

1 syllable · 4 letters

About the name Neel

Neel is the colour word behind Neelkanth, the blue-throated Shiva who swallowed the poison churned from the ocean to save the world. Its near-identity with the Irish Neil has made it a favourite for Bengali and Gujarati families abroad who want a name that works in two registers at once.

Neel is a boy name of Sanskrit origin, pronounced NEEL. On the NameRarity scale it scores 53 out of 100, which places it in the uncommon band — familiar to everyone, yet rarely duplicated in the same room. Its strongest period was the steadily rising.

Associated with
coolartisticcomposedmodern

Name facts at a glance

Meaning
Blue, sapphire; the blue of Krishna and of Shiva's throat
Origin
Sanskrit
Gender
Boy
Pronunciation
NEEL
Syllables
1
Letters
4
US rank
Outside top 1000
Peak era
steadily rising
Rarity
53 / 100
Per million
~76
Starts with
N
Numerology
9 · The Humanitarian

How popular is Neel?

Popularity47/100
Rarity53/100

Neel currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 76 people per million carry it — about 1 in 13,158. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.

Famous people named Neel

  • Neel Mukherjee
    British-Indian novelist shortlisted for the Booker Prize

Spellings and variants of Neel

NealNilNeelkanth

Names similar to Neel

Ultra Rare

Indraneel

in-druh-NEEL

Sapphire; the deep blue gem of Indra

Bengali95% rare
Very Rare

Nilesh

nee-LAYSH

Lord of the blue, an epithet of Krishna

Sanskrit88% rare
Ultra Rare

Nilkanth

NEEL-kunth

Blue-throated one, Shiva who swallowed the poison of the churning ocean

Sanskrit94% rare
Very Rare

Jatin

juh-TEEN

One with matted hair, an epithet of Shiva

Sanskrit84% rare
Uncommon

Jay

JAY

Victory, triumph

Sanskrit51% rare
Very Rare

Nilam

NEE-lum

Sapphire, the deep blue gem

Sanskrit88% rare
Rare

Sachin

SUH-chin

Pure existence; an epithet of Shiva

Sanskrit66% rare
Ultra Rare

Zeel

ZEEL

Dedication, wholehearted resolve

Gujarati95% rare
Browse all 1,284 names →

Neel — frequently asked questions

What does the name Neel mean?

Neel means "Blue, sapphire; the blue of Krishna and of Shiva's throat". It is a name of Sanskrit origin, most often given to a boy.

How do you pronounce Neel?

Neel is pronounced NEEL, with 1 syllable.

How rare is the name Neel?

Neel scores 53 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it uncommon. Roughly 1 in every 13,158 people carry it — about 76 per million.

What is the numerology number for Neel?

Neel carries the expression number 9, known as The Humanitarian. Its soul urge number is 1 and its personality number is 8.

What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Neel?

The lucky number for Neel is 9 (with 18, 27, 36 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Coral Flame. The traditional lucky day is Tuesday and the associated gemstone is Bloodstone.