Nettie
Nettie was the 5663rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 22 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 62nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (1,167). Over the last ten years it has moved up 5,929 places. More babies were named Nettie in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Annette, Jeannette, etc. · English, French
Say it NET-ee /ˈnɛti/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,663 girls, up 3,136 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 22girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19181,167 babies
- Total since 1880
- 49,531babies recorded
What does the name Nettie mean?
Nettie is an English pet form of names ending in -nette, chiefly Annette, Jeannette and Antoinette. Those are French diminutives of Anne (Hebrew Hannah, "grace"), Jeanne (Jane, from John, "God is gracious") and Antoine (Anthony, a Roman family name). So Nettie's meaning depends on the full name it stands for. It was most common in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
-ette (French, “diminutive ending”)
How sure is this? Well established. Nettie stands for several names with different meanings.
Related names: Annette, Jeannette, Antoinette, Netta.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nettie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Annette', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Nettie (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nettie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 88 since 1885.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,663 | 22 |
| 2020 | #8,799 | 12 |
| 2010 | #7,795 | 16 |
| 2000 | #8,405 | 12 |
| 1990 | #5,001 | 19 |
| 1980 | #2,686 | 35 |
| 1970 | #1,927 | 45 |
| 1960 | #876 | 141 |
| 1950 | #475 | 292 |
| 1940 | #304 | 427 |
| 1930 | #242 | 657 |
| 1920 | #181 | 1,141 |
| 1910 | #129 | 627 |
| 1900 | #94 | 711 |
| 1890 | #67 | 707 |
| 1880 | #65 | 403 |
How popular is Nettie, counting every spelling?
Nettie is the most common spelling of a name family that had 27 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 27 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nettie | 22 | #5,663 | 96 |
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 Nettie?
22 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nettie (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nettie 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 381 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nettie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nettie?
About 7,100 people born in the US named Nettie are alive today, with a median age of 75; half are between 64 and 84. That makes Nettie a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nettie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nettie, they share its era and feel.
Nettie is also a nickname for Annette, Jeanette, Antoinette and Henrietta.
Questions about the name Nettie
What does Nettie mean?
Nettie means “pet form of Annette, Jeannette, etc.” (English, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Nettie?
Nettie was the 5663rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 22 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 62nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (1,167). Over the last ten years it has moved up 5,929 places. More babies were named Nettie in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Nettie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nettie in the US.