Nigel

For the South African town, see Nigel, Gauteng.

Nigel

Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Niall -> Njáll -> Neel, Niel, Nihel -> Nigellus -> Nigel
Region of origin	Normandy, England

Nigel (pronounced /ˈnaɪdʒəl/) is an English masculine given name. The name is derived from the Latin Nigellus. This Latin word would seem to derive from the Latin niger, meaning "black"; however this is thought to be an example of an incorrect etymology created by French speaking clerics, who knew Latin as well, to translate the Norman first name Neel in the Latin written documents. Indeed, the latin word nigellus gave birth to Old French neel (modern nielle), meaning “black enamel” (same word as niello) and it explains the confusion, because the clerics believed it was the same etymology as the first name Neel, spelled the same way.

In fact, the Old Norman first name Neel (modern surname Néel) derives itself from the Norse Njáll. The Norse Njáll, in turn, is derived from the Gaelic Niall. The English Nigel is commonly found in records dating from the Middle Ages, however it was not used much before being revived by 19th century antiquarians, such as Sir Walter Scott who published The Fortunes of Nigel in 1822. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published Sir Nigel in 1905/06. Nigel was a common name for boys born in England and Wales during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s (see below).

Nigel has never been as common in other countries, but has been among the thousand most common names for boys born in the United States since 1971 when 94 births were recorded with the name. Numbers peaked in 1994 when 447 were recorded (it being the 478th most common boys name that year). There were 244 in 2009. The peak popularity at 0.02% of boys names in 1994 compares to a peak popularity in England and Wales of about 1.2% in 1963, 60 times higher.

In Australian English it is a colloquial term for a male social misfit or a person without friends, originating from the name being unusual in the 1980s and alliterating with 'no-friends'.

England and Wales

The following table shows the number of boys given the first name Nigel in specific years in England and Wales. Numbers peaked in about 1963. In 1964 it was the 24th most popular boys name.

Year	Number
1840	1
1850	2
1860	1
1870	7
1880	8
1890	10
1900	18
1910	24
1920	71
1930	164
1940	445
1950	1943
1960	4383
1963	5529
1970	2469
1980	413
1990	125
2000	25
2009	16

Notable men named Nigel

• Nigel D'Oyly (Néel d'Ouilly), Anglo-Norman lord
• Nigel d'Aubigny (Néel d'Aubigny), Norman nobleman
• Nigel, Bishop of Ely (Néel d'Ely ) (died 1169), Anglo-Norman bishop
• Richard FitzNeal or Richard FitzNigel (Richard Fitz-Néel ) (died 1198 ), his son, bishop of Ely
• Nigel Ackrell, contracting legend and all round hero
• Nigel Ayers, multimedia artist
• Nigel Barker, fashion photographer
• Nigel John Taylor, bass player of Duran Duran
• Nigel Benn, British boxer
• Nigel Bennett, actor, director, and writer
• Nigel Benson, writer and illustrator
• Nigel Bond, snooker player
• Nigel Bruce, actor
• Nigel Clough, British footballer
• Nigel Dick, director, writer, and musician
• Nigel Edwards, former Welsh professional footballer
• Nigel Evans, British politician
• Nigel Farage, British politician, MEP (UKIP)
• Nigel Godrich, recording engineer and record producer
• Nigel Gresley, steam locomotive engineer
• Nigel Havers, actor
• Nigel Hawthorne, actor
• Nigel Haywood, Governor of the Falkland Islands
• Nigel Hess, British composer
• Nigel Horspool, Invented the Boyer–Moore–Horspool algorithm
• Nigel Holmes, graphic designer
• Nigel Irens, yacht designers
• Nigel Keay, violist and composer
• Nigel Kennedy, violinist and violist
• Nigel Kneale, scriptwriter
• Nigel Latta, psychologist
• Nigel Lawson, British politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Nigel de Longchamps, 12th-century English poet
• Nigel Lythgoe English television, film director and producer
• Nigel Mansell, British racing car driver
• Nigel Martyn, British football goalkeeper
• Nigel Marven, British wildlife television presenter, television producer, author, and hobby ornithologist
• Nigel McGuinness, professional wrestler
• Nigel Melville (born 1961), English rugby union player, coach, and administrator
• Nigel Mitchell, British television presenter and radio presenter
• Nigel Morris, cofounder of Capital One
• Nigel Olsson, drummer for Elton John, solo recording artist
• Nigel Pivaro, An English actor famous for his role as Terry Duckworth in Coronation Street
• Nigel Planer, actor
• Nigel Reo-Coker, An English footballer currently playing for Aston Villa
• Nigel Short, chess player
• Nigel Smart, Australian rules footballer
• Nigel Stock, actor who played Dr Watson
• Nigel West, pen name of Rupert Allason
• Nigel Winterburn, former Arsenal and England footballer

Fictional characters

• Sir Nigel Thornberry, fictional wildlife documentary producer from The Wild Thornberrys
• Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist for the fictional band Spinal Tap
• Nigel Olifaunt, Lord Glenvarloch, main character of Sir Walter Scott's novel 'The Fortunes of Nigel'
• Sir Nigel (Loring), a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Nigel Pargetter, a character on the BBC radio soap opera The Archers
• Nigel Forrester, a character from Bratz Rock Angelz whom Cloe falls in love with