Niels

Niels is a common Danish man's name, equivalent to Nicholas. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils, and the pet form is Nisse. It may refer to:

In science:

• Niels Bohr, Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics
• Niels Ferguson, Dutch cryptographic engineer and consultant who currently works for Microsoft
• Niels Ryberg Finsen, Faroese/Danish physician and scientist
• Niels Kaj Jerne, Danish immunologist
• Niels Krabbe, Danish ornithologist

In Danish music:

• Niels Viggo Bentzon, Danish composer and pianist
• Niels Wilhelm Gade, Danish composer, conductor, violinist, organist and teacher
• Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish jazz bassist known for his impressive technique

In politics:

• Niels Busk, Danish politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Venstre
• Niels Neergaard, Danish historian and political figure
• Niels Helveg Petersen, Danish politician
• Niels Treschow, Norwegian philosopher and politician
• Niels van den Berge, Dutch politician

In sports:

• Niels Feijen, Dutch three-time European straight pool champion
• Niels Holst-Sørensen, Danish European 400m champion
• Niels Christian Kaldau, Danish male badminton player
• Niels van Steenis, Dutch rower
• Niels van der Zwan, Dutch rower

In Danish royalty:

• Niels Ebbesen, Danish squire and national hero
• Niels of Denmark, king of Denmark following his brother Eric I

In Danish artistry:

• Niels Lauritz Høyen, the first Danish art historian and critic
• Niels Hansen Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and ceramist

In military:

• Niels Holst-Sørensen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Danish Air Force
• Niels Juel, Danish admiral
• Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp, Swedish soldier and Governor-General of Swedish Estonia from 1706 to 1709

In other fields:

• Niels Aagaard, professor at Sorø Academy
• Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician
• Niels Hemmingsen (Nicolaus Hemmingius) 1513–1600, Danish theologian