Nils
Nils is a male given name: 98% of people named Nils are men, and it is recorded as male in 10 of the 10 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 98% male / 2% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- Sweden, Norway, United States
- US births since 1880
- 2,917 male / 0 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Nils
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Nils," in English, "Guten Tag Nils," in German. Nils is a male given name: about 98% of people named Nils are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Nils,
German
Guten Tag Nils,
French
Bonjour Nils,
Spanish
Estimado/a Nils:
Chinese
Nils您好：
Japanese
Nils様
English
Hi Nils,
German
Hi Nils,
French
Salut Nils,
Spanish
Hola Nils,
Chinese
Nils你好：
Japanese
Nilsさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | common | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| United States | uncommon | man's name | 100% |
| Germany | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Latvia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
2,917 male · 0 female · 2,917 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nils a male or female name?
Nils is a male given name: 98% of people named Nils are men, and it is recorded as male in 10 of the 10 countries covered.
How do I address Nils in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Nils," in English, "Guten Tag Nils," in German. Nils is a male given name: about 98% of people named Nils are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Nils a unisex name?
Nils is not a unisex name: 98% of people named Nils are men. Nils leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Nils a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/nils (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_nils,
title = {Is Nils a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/nils},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}