Neela
Neela is a feminine given name which may refer to:
- Tamil
- Hindi
Meaning & Origin of Neela
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Neela is a feminine given name which may refer to:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Tamil
- Hindi
The Story of Neela
American parents first put Neela on the record books as a baby girl name in 1972, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2007, when 103 Neelas were born — ranking #1,988 that year. About 37% of every Neela on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Neela ranks #3,062 for baby girls with 53 births, gradually rising (+6%). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Neela
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Neela. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Neela
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Neela Marikkar , Chairperson of the Grant McCann Erickson, a leading communications group in Sri Lanka
- Neela Padmanabhan (born 1938), Tamil writer
- Neela Sathyalingam (1938–2017), Singaporean Tamil classical Indian dancer, choreographer
- Neela Satyanarayanan (1948–2020), Indian civil servant
- Sikkil Neela (born 1940), Indian flautist, one of the Sikkil Sisters
- Neela Wickramasinghe (1950–2022), Sri Lankan singer and musician
- Neela Winkelmann-Heyrovská (born 1969), Czech biologist, environmental activist and government official
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Neela
Phonetically similar names — useful when Neela is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Neela
What does the name Neela mean?
What is the origin of the name Neela?
How popular is Neela in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Neela most popular?
Is Neela a unisex name?
What names go well with Neela?
What are nicknames or variants of Neela?
About the name Neela
Neela is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1972 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Neela's peak popularity came in 2007 when it ranked #1,988. Use the chart and map above to compare Neela's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2007 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.