Will my child share the name Nihal with classmates?

Unlikely. With around 31 UK babies named Nihal per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Nihal in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.

Is Nihal becoming more or less popular in the UK?

Nihal is rising: up 254 places since 2020, to #976 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #692 in 2013.

Is Nihal a good choice for a distinctive name?

Nihal is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.

Who are some famous people named Nihal?

Notable people named Nihal include: Nihal Meshref, Nihal Sudeesh and Nihal Galappaththi.

Is Nihal a popular baby name in the United States?

Nihal does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice.

👦 Boy's name 💎 Relatively Unique UK #976

Nihal

🗳️ Add Nihal to a family shortlist

Nihal is a distinctive choice, ranked #976 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Nihal in their class.

💎

UK Rank 2025

#976

About the Name Nihal

Nihal has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 1076 places in five years. It was most popular in 2006 at #1016 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.

Nihal is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Nihal in their class.

⭐ Famous People Named Nihal

Nihal Meshref — Nihal Meshref (Arabic: نهال مشرف; born December 24, 1970, is an Egyptian table tennis player.
Nihal Sudeesh — Nihal Sudeesh is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters.
Nihal Galappaththi — Arachchige Nihal Galappaththi is a Sri Lankan politician and member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.