Neil 1338760 215386751 2008-05-27T23:32:47Z MisterSheik 91279 {{two other uses||people named Neil|Neil (name)}} '''Neil''' is a [[given name]] of [[Goidelic languages|Gaelic]] origin. The name is a perfection of '[[Niall]]', perhaps derived from the [[Vocative case|vocative]] form, 'Nèill'. It comes into French and Norman-[[Latin]] as '''Nigell -us''', originally pronounced almost identically. The name, like many Gaelic names, was borrowed into [[Old Norse|Norse]], where it became Njál. The original Gaelic meaning of Neil is unclear, but ''Champion'' or ''Cloud'' are the most popular meanings assigned to it. The unrelated [[India]]n name '[[Neel]]' (''blue'') has overlapping variants 'Neal' and 'Neil'. 'Neel' comes from the [[Sanskrit]] word Nilakantha (pronounced as neela-kanta), which refers to the hue (sky blue color) of the [[Hindu]] deity [[Shiva]]'s neck as he drinks poison. ==Variants== Anglicised variants include: * Neal * Neale * Neall * Neill * Nellus * Niel * Neel * Nil * [[Nigel]] * Kneale ==See also== * [[MacNeil]] * [[Neill]] * [[Nelson (surname)|Nelson]] * [[O'Neill]] {{surname|Neil|no cat}} {{given name|Neil|nocat}} [[Category:Given names]] [[Category:Irish given names]] [[Category:Surnames]] [[de:Neil]] [[fr:Neil]]