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Nils

Quick answerThe given name 'Nils' is derived from the Old Norse name 'Níall', which means 'cloud' or 'passionate' and is of Germanic linguistic root.

Swedish · Boy · 1 syllable

N
Top 5,000

Popularity & facts

Relative popularity index, 2010–2025
GenderBoy
US Rank#4,993
TrendStable
Peak year1970
Syllables1
OriginSwedish
LanguageSwedish
CultureSwedish, Norwegian, Danish
ReligionChristian
Letters4
Numerology9 Chaldean 3
Global rank#7

Popularity over time

Popularity index
Hover the line to see any year. 100 = most popular.

Historical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data

About the name Nils

The given name 'Nils' is derived from the Old Norse name 'Níall', which means 'cloud' or 'passionate' and is of Germanic linguistic root.

Cross-referenced with Wikidata/Wikipedia. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.

Etymology

The given name 'Nils' is derived from the Old Norse name 'Níall', which means 'cloud' or 'passionate' and is of Germanic linguistic root. Nils is commonly used in Scandinavian cultures, particularly in Sweden and Norway, and has historical connections to the Viking Age and the Christianization of Scandinavia.

Nils currently ranks #4,993 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1970.

Variants & nicknames

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"Nilesh is a Sanskrit name combining "Nil" (blue) and "Ish" (lord/master), meaning "Lord of the Blue" or "Lord of the…"

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"Neilas is a Lithuanian form of the name Neil, derived from the Irish Gaelic "Niall," which means "champion" or "cloud"…"

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"Nelsa is a modern feminine name derived from the Scandinavian name Nels (itself a form of Niels/Nicholas), meaning "victory of…"

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"The name Niilas is a Sami form of the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people" (from *nike* "victory"…"

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"Nilza is a feminine given name derived from the Sanskrit root "nil" meaning "blue" or "dark blue," combined with the…"

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"Nayla-Ogechi is a compound name combining Nayla (Arabic origin, meaning "to achieve" or "successful") with Ogechi (Igbo origin, meaning "daughter…"

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"Nelcia is a feminine given name derived from the Latin root "nel" or related to Cornelia, ultimately tracing to the…"

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"Nilas means "dark" or "black" and derives from Old Norse, coming from the name Níels, which is a Scandinavian form…"

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"Naelys is a modern invented name with no established etymological root in historical linguistic sources, though it appears to blend…"

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