Nigel ( ) is an English masculine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

. 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. For instance, Walter Scott published '' The Fortunes of Nigel'' in 1822, and

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

published ''

Sir Nigel ''Sir Nigel'' is a historical novel set during the early phase of the Hundred Years' War, spanning the years 1350 to 1356. It was written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in serial form during 1905–06 where it was ill ...

'' in 1905–06. As a name given for boys in England and Wales, it peaked in popularity from the 1950s to the 1970s (see

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). ''Nigel'' has never been as common in other countries as it is in Britain, but was among the 1,000 most common names for boys born in the United States from 1971 to 2010. Numbers peaked in 1994 when 447 were recorded (it was the 478th most common boys' name that year). 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.

Etymology

The name is derived from the church Latin '. This Latin word would at first sight seem to derive from the classical Latin ''nigellus'' (meaning dark or somewhat black), which is derived from ', meaning "black". However, this is now considered an example of an incorrect etymology created by French-speaking clerics, who knew Latin as well, to translate the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

first name ''Neel'' in the Latin written documents. The Latin word ' gave birth to Old French ' (modern '), meaning “ niello, black enamel” and it explains the confusion, because the clerics believed it was the same etymology as the first name ''Neel'', spelled the same way. Ultimately Nigel, via medieval Latin ''Nigellus'' and subsequently Norman ''Neel'' (modern surname ''Néel''), is derived from the Norse ''Njáll''. The Norse ''Njáll'', in turn, is derived from the Gaelic given name '' Niall''.

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 23rd most popular boys' name. By 2016 the number of boys named Nigel had dropped below 3, the minimum number reported by the ONS.

Medieval figures

* (Néel de Saint-Sauveur), Norman baron at Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte in Cotentin * Nigel D'Oyly (Néel d'Ouilly), Anglo-Norman lord * Nigel d'Aubigny (Néel d'Aubigny), Norman nobleman * Nigel (bishop of Ely) (Néel d'Ely), Anglo-Norman bishop * Nigel de Longchamps, 12th-century English poet

Notable people named Nigel

* Nigel Ah Wong (born 1990), New Zealand rugby player * Nigel Ayers (born 1957), English multimedia artist * Nigel Barker (photographer) (born 1972), English fashion photographer * Nigel Benn (born 1964), British boxer *

Nigel Bennett Nigel Bennett (born 19 November 1949) is a British-Canadian actor, director, and writer who has been based in Canada since 1986. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series ''Forever Knight'', for which h ...

(born 1949), Anglo-Canadian actor, director, and writer *

Nigel Benson Nigel C. Benson (born January 15, 1955) is a British author and illustrator. Benson was born in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, son of Ralph H. Benson, a fine artist specializing in oils and pastels, and Heather M. Benson. He grew up in Duns ...

(born 1955), British writer and illustrator * Nigel Blackwell, English lead singer and guitarist of

Half Man Half Biscuit Half Man Half Biscuit are an English rock band, formed in 1984 in Birkenhead, Merseyside. Known for their satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs, the band comprises lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Cr ...

* Nigel Bond (born 1965), British snooker player *

Nigel Bonner William Nigel Bonner (15 February 1928 – 27 August 1994) was a British zoologist, Antarctic marine mammal specialist, author and ecologist. The topics of his books and scientific publications included marine animals, reindeer and the ecology of ...

(1928-1994), British zoologist and Antarctic marine mammal specialist * Nigel Bruce (1895–1953), British actor * Nigel Clough (born 1966), British footballer *

Nigel Cullen Richard Nigel Cullen, (5 June 1917 – 4 March 1941) was an Australian fighter ace of World War II. Serving with the Royal Air Force (RAF), he was credited with as many as sixteen aerial victories before being killed in action d ...

(1917–1941), Australian fighter ace of World War II * Nigel Cumberland, British author * Nigel Dakin (born 1964), Soldier, Diplomat and Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands * Nigel Davenport (1928–2013), English actor * Nigel Dick (born 1953), English director, writer, and musician * Nigel Dodds (born 1958), British/Northern Irish politician, MP (DUP) *

Nigel Edwards (disambiguation) Nigel Edwards may refer to: * Nigel Edwards (footballer) (born 1950), Welsh footballer * Nigel Edwards (golfer) (born 1968), Welsh golfer * Nigel Edwards (health) Nigel Edwards is a health policy researcher, appointed Chief Executive at the Nuffie ...

* Nigel Evans (born 1957), British politician * Nigel Farage (born 1964), British politician, MEP (Brexit Party) * Nigel Fountain (born 1944), British writer, journalist, editor and broadcaster *

Nigel Glockler Nigel Glockler (born 24 January 1953) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer for the heavy metal band Saxon, which he first joined in 1981. Career Glockler began his musical career in 1980 as the drummer for the British band ...

(born 1953), English drummer of the heavy metal band

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

* Nigel Godrich (born 1971), English recording engineer and record producer * Nigel Green (1924–1972), British actor *

Nigel Gresley Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941) was a British railway engineer. He was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Rai ...

(1876–1941), British steam locomotive engineer *

Nigel Harris (disambiguation) Nigel Harris may refer to: *Nigel Harris (actor) (born 1949), British actor *Nigel Harris (American football) (born 1994), American football player *Nigel Harris (economist) (born 1935), British economist *Nigel MacArthur, British broadcaster under ...

, multiple people *

Nigel Harte Nigel Harte is a Gaelic footballer who plays for Tyrrellspass and at senior level for the Westmeath county team. He was a U20 player in the 2018 All-Ireland Under 20 Football Championship. Harte won the 2022 Tailteann Cup. He was put in to t ...

, Westmeath Gaelic footballer * Nigel Havers (born 1951), English actor * Nigel Hawthorne (1929–2001), English actor *

Nigel Hayes Nigel Hayes-Davis ( Hayes; born December 16, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Hayes attended Whit ...

(born 1994), American basketball player * Nigel Haywood (born 1955), Governor of the Falkland Islands * Nigel Hess (born 1953), British composer *

Nigel Horspool R. Nigel Horspool is a retired professor of computer science, formerly of the University of Victoria. He invented the Boyer–Moore–Horspool algorithm, a fast string search algorithm adapted from the Boyer–Moore string-search algorithm. Horsp ...

, British-born inventor of the Boyer–Moore–Horspool algorithm *

Nigel Holmes Nigel Holmes (born 15 June 1942, Swanland, England) is a British/American graphic designer, author, and theorist, who focuses on information graphics and information design. Biography Graduating from Royal College of Art in London in 1966, H ...

(born 1942), British graphic designer *

Nigel Irens Nigel Irens RDI is a leading yacht designer. Amongst his designs are the ''Adventurer,'' a 35m trimaran motor yacht which completed a record-breaking circumnavigation in 1998, and ''B&Q/Castorama'' a 23 m sailing trimaran used by Ellen MacAr ...

, British yacht designer * Nigel de Jong (born 1984), Dutch footballer *

Nigel Keay Nigel Keay (born 1955) is a New Zealand composer. He has been a freelance musician since 1983 working as a composer, violist, and violin teacher. Nigel Keay has held the following composer residencies: Mozart Fellowship, University of Otago 1986 ...

(born 1955), New Zealand violist and composer * Nigel Kennedy (born 1956), British violinist and violist * Nigel Kneale (1922–2006), British scriptwriter * Nigel Latta (born 1967), New Zealand psychologist * Nigel Lawson (born 1932), British politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer * Nigel Lythgoe (born 1949), English television, film director and producer *

Nigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell, (; born 8 August 1953) is a British retired racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship (1992) and the CART Indy Car World Series ( 1993). Mansell was the reigning F1 champion when he moved over ...

(born 1953), British racing car driver *

Nigel Martyn Antony Nigel Martyn (born 11 August 1966) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He notably played in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Everton, having initially playe ...

(born 1966), British football goalkeeper * Nigel Marven (born 1960), British wildlife television presenter/producer, author, and hobby ornithologist * Nigel McGuinness (born 1976), British wrestler *

Nigel Melville Nigel David Melville (born 6 January 1961) is a former England national rugby union team scrum half and captain and currently serves as Director of Professional Rugby for Rugby Football Union. Melville became the youngest player to captain E ...

(born 1961), English rugby player, coach, and administrator * Nigel Miguel (born 1963), Belizean-American actor, film producer, film commissioner, basketball player *

Nigel Mitchell Nigel Mitchell is a British television and radio presenter and voice-over artist. Early life and education Nigel was born in Kingston Upon Thames. He attended Shrewsbury House School in Surbiton, from where he gained a scholarship to Reed's Sch ...

, British television presenter and radio presenter *

Nigel Morris Nigel William Morris (born June 1958) is a British businessman. He is the managing partner of QED Investors and co-founded Capital One Financial Services with Richard Fairbank. Early life Nigel William Morris was born in Billericay, Essex, t ...

(born 1958), British businessman and co-founder of Capital One *

Nigel Murch Stewart Nigel Clifford Murch (27 June 1944 – 15 July 2020) was an Australian cricketer active from 1966 to 1970 who played for Northamptonshire and Victoria. Born in Warrnambool, Victoria, Murch appeared in ten first-class matches as a righ ...

(1944–2020), Australian cricketer * Nigel Ng (born 1991), Malaysian stand-up comedian *

Nigel Northridge Nigel Hargreaves Northridge (born January 1956) is a British businessman, the chairman of Hogg Robinson Group since April 2016, and was the chairman of the British multinational department store chain, Debenhams from April 2010 to April 2016. Ea ...

(born 1956), British businessman * Nigel Oakes (born 1962), British businessman * Nigel Olsson (born 1949), drummer for Elton John, solo recording artist * Nigel Owens (born 1971), Welsh rugby referee * Nigel Pivaro (born 1959), English actor, he played as Terry Duckworth in ''Coronation Street'' * Nigel Planer (born 1953), English actor *

Nigel Plum Nigel Plum is a journeyman Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played for the Sydney Roosters, Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League. He was known for his tackling technique, most notably cutt ...

, Australian rugby player *

Nigel Poor ''Ear Hustle'' is a non-fiction podcast about prison life and life after incarceration created by Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, both formerly incarcerated, and Nigel Poor, an artist who volunteers at San Quentin State Prison. In 2016, it ...

, American podcaster *

Nigel Reo-Coker Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker (born 14 May 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, as well as a football commentator and pundit for CBS Sports. Reo-Coker came through the youth team ranks at Wimbledon, and h ...

(born 1984), English footballer * Nigel Richards (born 1967), five times World Scrabble Champion * Nigel Rodgers (born 1952), British author *

Nigel Roberts Dr Nigel Roberts FIoD FBCS FRSA is a British computer scientist. Early life Roberts was born in Liverpool and grew up in Lancashire. Education Educated at Wigan and Prescot Grammar Schools, he received his first degree in Computer Science f ...

, British computer scientist * Nigel Short (born 1965), English chess player * Nigel Slater (born 1958), English food writer and broadcaster *

Nigel Smart Nigel James Smart (born 21 May 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Smart played most of his career in defence and became a crowd favourite, easily ide ...

(born 1969), Australian footballer * Nigel Stock (actor) (1919–1986), English actor who played Dr Watson *

Nigel John Taylor Nigel John Taylor (born 20 June 1960) is a British musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for new romantic band Duran Duran, of which he was a founding member. Duran Duran was one of the most popular bands in the world during the 198 ...

(born 1960), bass player of

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

* Nigel Vardy, British mountaineer * Nigel Warburton, British philosopher *

Nigel Watson Nigel Jerome Edwin Watson (24 September 1947 – 16 February 2019) was an English guitarist best known for his work with ex- Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green. Career After Green left Fleetwood Mac in 1970, he worked with Watson on two solo ...

(1947–2019), British blues-rock guitarist *

Nigel Williams-Goss Nigel Williams-Goss (born September 16, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Utah Jazz, with the 55th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He playe ...

(born 1994), American basketball player *

Nigel Winterburn Nigel Winterburn (born 11 December 1963) is an English former professional footballer, coach and current television personality for BT Sport. He played primarily as a left back from 1981 to 2003. He is best known for his role alongside the like ...

(born 1963), English footballer *

Nigel Worthington Nigel Worthington (born 4 November 1961) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of York City. He played a defender and a midfielder, playing his club football for Ballymena United, Notts County, ...

(born 1961), Northern Irish footballer and manager

Fictional characters

* Nigel, a character in 1989 American independent coming of age comedy movie '' She's Out of Control'' * Nigel Bathgate, a journalist, in the detective novel, ''

A Man Lay Dead ''A Man Lay Dead'' is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the first novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1934. The plot concerns a murder committed during a detective game of murder at a weekend party in a country ho ...

'' (1934) by Dame Ngaio Marsh * Nigel Bottom, a poet and playwright in '' Something Rotten!'' * Nigel Cronin, a character from 1991 black comedy movie '' Drop Dead Fred'' * Nigel Olifaunt, Lord Glenvarloch, main character of Sir Walter Scott's novel '' The Fortunes of Nigel'' * ''

'' (Loring), a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle based on the life of Neil Loring * Nigel Pargetter, a character on the BBC radio soap opera '' The Archers'' * Nigel Baker, a character in ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsell ...

'' and its sequel * Nigel Forrester, a character from '' Bratz Rock Angelz'' with whom Cloe falls in love * " Making Plans for Nigel", 1979 New Wave hit for English group XTC * Nigel Powers (played by actor Michael Caine) is a character who appears in the third Austin Powers movie, '' Austin Powers in Goldmember'', as the father of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil * Principal Nigel Brown, a character on '' The Amazing World of Gumball'' * Nigel Molesworth, schoolboy in 1950s humour books by

Geoffrey Willans Herbert Geoffrey Willans, RNVR, (4 February 1911 – 6 August 1958), an English writer and journalist, is best known as the creator of Nigel Molesworth, the "goriller of 3B" and "curse of St. Custard's", as in the four books with illustrations ...

and Ronald Searle * Nigel Moon, one of the many brothers of the character Daphne Moon in the TV series '' Frasier'' * Nigel, a brown pelican and character in the 2003 Disney/ Pixar animated film ''

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was writ ...

'' * Nigel, a British koala in 2006 Disney animated film '' The Wild'' * Nigel, the gangster ex-husband in Fredrik Bond's '' Charlie Countryman'' * Nigel "Nidge" Delaney, fictional character played by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor in RTE crime drama TV series '' Love/Hate'' * Sir Nigel Irvine, SIS chief in Frederick Forsyth's spy fiction ''

The Fourth Protocol ''The Fourth Protocol'' is a thriller novel by British writer Frederick Forsyth, published in August 1984. Etymology The title refers to the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which (at least in the world of the novel) contained four secr ...

'' * Nigel, a sadistic sulphur-crested cockatoo who is the main antagonist in the ''

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

'' franchise * Nigel Burke, the main character in '' Surgeon Simulator 2013'' * Nigel, nickname given by the community to the British pilot model in War Thunder'' * Nigel Bumble, a fictional character who join The Rooks in '' Assassin's Creed Syndicate * Nigel, an agoraphobic sheep dog in the New Zealand film ''

The Price of Milk ''The Price of Milk'' is a 2000 New Zealand romantic fantasy film. It was directed by New Zealand actor and director Harry Sinclair. Plot In rural New Zealand, a farmer, Rob (Karl Urban), gets engaged to his love, Lucinda (Danielle Cormack ...

'' (2000) * Nigel, played by Hugh Grant, in the movie ''

Bitter Moon ''Bitter Moon'' is a 1992 erotic romantic thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Peter Coyote, Emmanuelle Seigner, Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas. The film's French title is ' (a pun on the French phrase "lune de miel", mean ...

'' (1992) * Sir Nigel Thornberry, fictional wildlife documentary producer from ''The Wild Thornberrys'' * Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist for the fictional band Spinal Tap * Nigel Ratburn, an anthropomorphic rat and elementary school teacher, in the '' Arthur'' TV series * Nigel Planter, a character from '' The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy'' * Nigel Uno, a fictional character from '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' * Nigel Wolpert, a Gryffindor wizard from

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

Dog

* Nigel, a Golden Retriever dog that belonged to Monty Don, a British television gardening presenter.

References

{{Reflist Given names English given names English masculine given names Slang Pejorative terms for European people