Niels

Niels - A very unique male name

Niels appeared on the charts for the first time in 1927 on position #1524. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Niels and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Niels? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Niels. The baby boy name Niels was given to 5 baby boys in 2025, ranking #4196 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 293,257 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Niels peaked in popularity 69 years ago in 1957 on position 1244.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Niels, 1-5?

Niels is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Niels is currently topping the baby name charts in California at position #2,696 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,696.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Niels is where you live.

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Niels origin and meaning

Danish and Norwegian, from Nicholas

Scandinavian form of Nicholas — Greek Nikolaos, 'victory of the people'

Niels is the Danish and Norwegian form of Nicholas, long one of Denmark's commonest names. Its towering bearer is physicist Niels Bohr, founder of the modern model of the atom. US use is a thin Scandinavian-heritage thread reaching back to 1927.

Attested etymology

Niels is a 5 letter name with 1 syllables.

To see famous people named Niels, pop culture references for the name Niels and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Niels

We've found the following names that sound similar to Niels, sorted by popularity.

Nels / Niles / Nils / Nyles /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Niels

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Niels a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Niels?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

NEELZ · /nilz/

Around the world

• Nils (Swedish) — The Swedish form of the same name.
• Nicholas (English) — The full English form Niels derives from.

Spellings and nicknames

• Nils — The Swedish spelling of the same name.

Famous bearers

• Niels Bohr — Danish physicist whose model of the atom won the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physics (1885–1962) Historical

Style

InternationalClassic

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Niels for Scandinavian heritage with a Nobel-grade namesake in a single crisp syllable.

Worth knowing

• English speakers may rhyme it with 'deals' less often than misread it as Niles, a different name.