From Latin and/or Gaelic origin.
Derives from the Latin name “Nigellus” and the Gaelic “Niall“.
It was originally associated with the Latin word “nigrum”, meaning “black”.
Several sources mention that this association is due to the mistaken etymology research of clerics who would translate textbooks from and to Latin.
Nigel also derives from the Irish name Neil. From the Gaelic name Niall, meaning “champion”.
It is also associated with “Nigella”, a genus of annual plants that belong to the “Ranunculaceae” family.
Other forms of the name are Nygel, Nigiel, Nye.
Nigel was a popular name in England and Wales during the 1960’s.
The name was in the top-1000 U.S.A. popularity list from 1970 until 2010. The name’s best ranking was #507 in 1995.
Famous bearers are Sir Nigel Hawthorne, Nigel Kennedy, Nigel Farage, Nigel de Jong, Nigel John Taylor, Nigel Mansell, Nigel Havers, Nigel Planer, Nigel Olsson, Nigel Bennett, Nigel Martyn, Nigel Harman.