Nelle
Nelle was the 4325th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 1885, when it ranked 175th; the most babies were born in 1917 (169). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,586 places. More babies were named Nelle in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Nell) pet form of Eleanor, Ellen or Helen · English
- Rank in 2025
- #4,325 girls, down 433 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 33girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1917169 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,794babies recorded
What does the name Nelle mean?
Nelle is a spelling of Nell, pronounced the same way, so it shares Nell's meaning and origin.
Nell is an old English pet form of Eleanor, Ellen and Helen. Helen and Ellen go back to Greek Helénē, of unknown origin; DMNES calls Eleanor of uncertain origin too. The actress Nell Gwyn and Dickens's Little Nell made the name familiar. In the US it was most common around 1900 to 1920.
How sure is this? Well established. Nell has no meaning of its own; the names it shortens are of uncertain origin.
Related names: Nellie, Eleanor, Ellen, Helen, Nelly.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nell', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Eleanor', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ellen', DMNES (Durham University)
Nelle popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,325 | 33 |
| 2020 | #3,892 | 37 |
| 2010 | #14,548 | 7 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | #11,588 | 5 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | #5,542 | 7 |
| 1950 | #4,219 | 8 |
| 1940 | #2,384 | 13 |
| 1930 | #1,113 | 45 |
| 1920 | #639 | 128 |
| 1910 | #508 | 65 |
| 1900 | #355 | 91 |
| 1890 | #198 | 143 |
| 1880 | #189 | 65 |
How popular is Nelle, counting every spelling?
Nelle is a spelling of Nell, a name family that ranked #1,258 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,325 for Nelle on its own. Together these spellings went to 167 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nell | 128 | #1,628 | 617 |
| Nelle | 33 | #4,325 | 148 |
| Nel | 6 | #14,435 | 34 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nelle?
33 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nelle (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nelle born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 253 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nelle.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nelle?
About 700 people born in the US named Nelle are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 6 and 73. That makes Nelle mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nelle by state
How common Nelle was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nelle: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nelle, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Nelle
What does Nelle mean?
Nelle is a spelling of Nell, which means “pet form of Eleanor, Ellen or Helen” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Nelle?
Nelle was the 4325th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 1885, when it ranked 175th; the most babies were born in 1917 (169). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,586 places. More babies were named Nelle in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Nelle a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nelle in the US.
Where is Nelle most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nelle was most common in New York (0.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.