Neil

Neil is an anglicisation of the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name Niall, whose origin is debated but most commonly traced to an Old Irish root meaning champion or cloud, with some scholars also proposing a connection to a word meaning passionate or vehement. The name was borne by the semi-legendary High King Niall of the Nine Hostages, ancestor of the powerful Uí Néill dynasty that dominated early medieval Ireland, which helped spread the name widely across the Gaelic world. Norse settlers adopted the name as Njáll, familiar from the Icelandic saga tradition, while Latin records rendered it as Nigellus, mistakenly connecting it to Latin niger meaning black, giving rise to the medieval English form Nigel. Modern variants and cognates include Neal, Nial, Niall, Nigel, and the Scandinavian Njål.