NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Neymar

A masculine Portuguese name meaning "new homeland" or "new life".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Neymar is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Neymar popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2443, with 9 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 11 births.

This profile covers 84 England and Wales registrations across 12 recorded years from 2012 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 82% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 84 living people in the UK are called Neymar. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Neymar ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 9 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2018, when 11 boys were registered as Neymar.
  • About 84 living people in the UK are estimated to have Neymar as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2443

2024

Births in 2024

9

Latest year

Peak year

2018

11 births

Estimated living

84

2026

Meaning

What does Neymar mean?

The name Neymar has its origins in the Portuguese language and is believed to have emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century. It is thought to be a combination of the name Ney, which is a shortened form of the Portuguese name Inácio, and the suffix "-mar," which is derived from the Latin word "mare," meaning "sea."

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Neymar can be found in the writings of Brazilian author Monteiro Lobato, who created a character named Neymar in his children's book series "Sítio do Picapau Amarelo" (The Yellow Woodpecker Ranch), published in the 1920s. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until the mid-20th century.

Historically, the name Neymar has been relatively uncommon, and there are few well-known individuals from earlier times who bore this name. One notable exception is Neymar de Souza, a Brazilian footballer who played as a defender for various clubs in the 1940s and 1950s.

In more recent history, the name Neymar has become closely associated with the Brazilian football player Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, born in 1992, who is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation. His success and fame have undoubtedly contributed to the growing popularity of the name Neymar, particularly in Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking countries.

Other notable individuals who have borne the name Neymar include Neymar Fernandes de Souza (1932-2022), a Brazilian actor and comedian; Neymar Gomes (born 1983), a Brazilian mixed martial artist; and Neymar Dias (born 1985), a Brazilian volleyball player.

While the name Neymar has its roots in Portuguese, it has also been adopted in various other cultures and languages, particularly in the context of sports and entertainment, where the influence of Brazilian football and culture has been significant.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Neymar over time

The chart below shows babies named Neymar registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2012 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Neymar, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 9 births in 2024, compared with 11 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Neymar
036811201220182024

Decades

Neymar by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Neymar was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #3228 25 4
2010s #2883 59 8

Related

Names similar to Neymar

FAQ

Neymar: questions and answers

How popular is the name Neymar in the UK right now?

In 2024, Neymar was ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales, with 9 births registered.

When was Neymar most popular?

The peak year on record was 2018, with 11 babies registered as Neymar in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Neymar?

A masculine Portuguese name meaning "new homeland" or "new life".

How many people are called Neymar in the UK?

A total of 84 babies have been registered as Neymar across the 12 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.