Nigel
A boys’ name of Latin origin, meaning dark, black; from Nigellus.
Baby Names Arena rank
—
needs 5 head-to-heads
Win rate
45%
of head-to-heads
US popularity
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outside the top 1000
UK popularity
#3684
5 babies
Nigel by the numbers
In 2025, 5 babies in England and Wales were named Nigel. In the US, 148 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
For the size of the two countries, it is given several times more often in the US than in England and Wales.
Its American peak was 447 babies in 1994, making it a 1990s name.
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Nigel. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
Other names that mean darkness
Like Nigel, each of these has darkness in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
- Adrianfrom Hadria; dark one6,317 in the US (2017)
- Coltondark settlement; coal town5,261 in the US (2017)
- Blakedark or pale3,782 in the US (2017)
- Coledark, swarthy; charcoal3,458 in the US (2017)
- Blakelydark or pale meadow; a place name used as personal name1,244 in the US (2017)
- Donovandark brown warrior; surname used as given name1,056 in the US (2017)
Names about as common as Nigel
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