Nils
How to say it: NILZ · /ˈnɪlz/
Scandinavian form of Nicholas, 'victory of the people' - widely used in Sweden and Denmark.
Nils was the 4,101st most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 20 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1930s, its births are steady over ten years, and it is projected to slip to #4,306 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #4,101 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 20 |
| Share of births | 1 in 165,767 |
| Peak decade | 1930s |
| Change over 10 years | steady |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #4,306 |
| In France, 2025 | #511 among boys’ names, 75 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Nils peaked in the 1930s and is less common today.
What goes with it
Nicknames
- Nisse
- Nil
Honouring a Nils in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Nils is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Norwegian, Swedish.
In France: #511 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Nils
- Nils Gustaf Dalén (1869–1937)Swedish Nobel Laureate and industrialist
- Nils Petersen (born 1988)German association football player
- Nils Liedholm (1922–2007)Swedish footballer and manager
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
Good to know
- Nils Holgersson, the boy hero of Selma Lagerlof's The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906-07); a classic children's character well known in G
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