| Dev | Neel | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God; divine | Dark blue, sapphire |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DAYV | NEEL |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1969 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2009 (145) | 2009 (148) |
| In 2025 | 126 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dev | Neel |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 690 | 542 |
| 2010s | 1,188 | 964 |
| 2000s | 975 | 947 |
| 1990s | 147 | 456 |
| 1980s | 85 | 289 |
| 1970s | 56 | 119 |
| 1960s | 5 | 22 |
| 1950s | 0 | 14 |
| 1940s | 0 | 5 |
| 1930s | 0 | 5 |
| 1920s | 0 | 16 |
| 1910s | 0 | 13 |
From Sanskrit deva (देव), 'god, deity, divine one', from a root meaning 'to shine'. A simple, ancient word meaning 'divine'.
From the Sanskrit नील (nīla), 'dark blue, indigo, sapphire'. A genuine classical colour word, also the root of 'neelam' (sapphire). Note: the similar-looking English/Irish name Neil (from Gaelic Niall) is a separate, unrelated name.
Dev is more popular than Neel today: about 126 US babies were given the name Dev in 2025, compared with 0 named Neel.
Dev means God; divine (sanskrit origin), while Neel means Dark blue, sapphire (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Dev first appears in 1969 and Neel in 0, so Neel has the longer recorded history.