Nils

An uncommon Swedish pick — distinctive and rare.

Boy's nameSwedishDeclining Also a pet name
#4979 554in 2024

Meaning & Origin

Nyls (a hamlet in the municipality of Pineilla, Pyrénées-Orientales department, Occitania, France, historically part of Northern Catalonia)

Nils is a boy's baby name of Scandinavian origin, the Swedish and Norwegian form of Nicholas, from the Greek Nikolaos, composed of nike (victory) and laos (people), meaning 'victory of the people.'

With over 3,000 recorded births, Nils is a classic of Scandinavian naming — beloved in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark for centuries. Niels Bohr, the Nobel Prize-winning Danish physicist who revolutionized atomic theory, is one of the name's greatest intellectual bearers. Outside Scandinavia it's refreshingly rare, carrying unmistakable Nordic character in a clean, one-syllable package.

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Popularity Over Time

Nils was #4724 twenty years ago and has since drifted to #4979, but its charm endures.

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Popularity by Decade

Decade-by-decade popularity data for Nils
DecadeBirthsTrend
2020s93
2010s226
2000s265
1990s315
1980s276
1970s310
1960s351
1950s316
1940s272
1930s286
1920s195
1910s143
1900s6
1880s7

Year-by-Year Data

View complete yearly data(115 years, 18882024)
Year-by-year popularity data for the name Nils
YearBirthsRank
202420#4979
202324#4425
202215#6062
202114#6242
202020#4808
201920#4920
201825#4184
201718#5241
201621#4722
201520#4840
201422#4489
201325#4031
201226#3974
201118#5136
201031#3509
200923#4387
200824#4227
200723#4324
200631#3433
200525#3788

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.

Nils has two lives

Nils, the baby name
#4979boys
3,061 babies
Currently viewing
Nils, the pet name
#7753pet name
8 pets
View pet page →

Last updated May 2026 · Data: U.S. Social Security Administration (18882024) · Methodology