Nigel

Irish

"dark, black-haired"

Nigel Origin and Meaning

The name Nigel is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "dark, black-haired".

A name that Yanks might see as overly British, but combined with the right surname, it does have a measure of Sherlock Holmesian dash via Nigel Bruce, who played the original Dr. Watson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes.

Nigel Rank in US Top 1000

# 934 in the US

Nigel Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1111 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Nigel

• 1111 Nameberry 2025
• 724 Unique 2021

20 Names Similar to Nigel

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Nigel.

• Lloyd
• Vernon
• Seymour
• Maurice
• Reginald
• Arnold
• Buchanan
• Milton
• Neville
• Roy
• Lionel
• Roderick
• Giles
• Moses
• Saul
• Gerald
• Melvin
• Gilbert
• Luther
• Howard

Famous People Named Nigel

• Nigel Colin McCrery English author, screenwriter, and TV/film producer ('Silent Witness', 'New Tricks', 'All the King's Men')
• Nigel Barnard Hawthorne English actor
• Nigel Lythgoe English TV producer and judge ("So You Think You Can Dance")
• Nigel Bradham American NFL football player
• Nigel Barker English photographer and TV personality
• Nigel Richard Patton Dempster British gossip columnist
• (William) Nigel Ernle Bruce English actor
• Nigel Ernest James Mansell English racing driver
• Nigel Bond English snooker player
• Nigel Kennedy English violinist
• Nigel Paul Farage English MEP and leader of the Independence Party
• Nigel Howard Clough English footballer and manager
• Nigel David Short English chess champion
• Nigel McGuinness (born Steven Haworth) English pro wrestler
• Nigel Marven British wildlife documentary producer and actor, Walking With Dinosaurs

The name Nigel in Pop Culture

• Nigel Bottom character in musical "Something Rotten"
• Nigel Thornberry dad on animated series "The Wild Thornberrys"
• Dr. Nigel Fenway character on TV's "Threshold"
• Nigel Baker boy in film "Cheaper by the Dozen"
• Dr. Nigel Townsend character on TV's "Crossing "Jordan"
• Nigel cockatoo in the animated movie "Rio"
• Nigel pelican in Pixar's "Finding Nemo"
• Nigel Tufnel lead guitarist of fictional band Spinal Tap
• Nigel Uno (a.k.a. Numbah One) one of the main characters on Codename: Kids Next Door
• Nigel Pinchley character on an episode of TV's "Family Guy"
• Nigel Wick character on the hit ABC Sitcom "The Drew Carey Show"

International Variations of the name Nigel

• Niguel Spanish