Nell

#1,622 for girls in 2025, 128 births · Last seen for boys in 1977 at #5,123
Given to girls 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1886 · 175 births
Debut · girls
77 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
27,612
since 1880

Nell over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Nell has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201891peak #144, 1886girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,622128—
2024#1,457150—
2023#1,669124—
2022#1,742119—
2021#2,00796—
2020#2,25779—
2019#1,773115—
2018#2,45772—
2017#2,18487—
2016#2,53970—
2015#2,84661—
2014#3,65242—
2013#3,51344—
2012#4,48632—
2011#4,46632—
2010#5,60224—
2009#4,80530—
2008#6,55920—
2007#5,70924—
2006#4,68530—
2005#4,82827—
2004#6,21619—
2003#5,23523—
2002#5,08623—
2001#3,70335—
2000#4,29128—
1999#3,80431—
1998#3,64832—
1997#3,54732—
1996#3,23736—
1995#5,22118—
1994#5,01619—
1993#4,99819—
1992#4,84920—
1991#4,65021—
1990#3,43631—
1989#4,02024—
1988#3,69025—
1987#3,16929—
1986#3,75722—
1985#3,51724—
1984#3,06928—
1983#2,91029—
1982#3,09328—
1981#3,62522—
1980#2,39140—
1979#2,52536—
1978#3,00926—
1977#3,00226#5,1236
1976#2,72828—
1975#2,35734—
1974#1,96143—
1973#1,93942—
1972#2,22234—
1971#2,24735—
1970#2,20336—
1969#2,02338—
1968#2,12632—
1967#2,21229—
1966#2,14730—
1965#1,88737—
1964#1,63549—
1963#1,54753—
1962#1,75742—
1961#1,36067—
1960#1,18185—
1959#1,20878—
1958#1,12988—
1957#1,17381—
1956#988106—
1955#1,02097—
1954#916110—
1953#782137—
1952#800128—
1951#741140—
1950#681157—
1949#745132—
1948#613182—
1947#624181—
1946#568197—
1945#537184—
1944#544176—
1943#496225—
1942#459261—
1941#440240—
1940#393296—
1939#409271#3,4805
1938#356331—
1937#360321—
1936#331351—
1935#318390#3,2526
1934#302427—
1933#286443#2,5429
1932#284483—
1931#294456—
1930#294511—
1929#296489—
1928#301498#3,6976
1927#282562#3,7806
1926#291531—
1925#266627—
1924#261635#4,3475
1923#257624#4,2395
1922#257647#3,5327
1921#238760—
1920#256661—
1919#248666#3,1158
1918#246687#2,8829
1917#220766—
1916#226722#3,1777
1915#228689—
1914#232530—
1913#211491#2,0928
1912#218422—
1911#220322—
1910#202318#1,4216
1909#207277—
1908#192288—
1907#201261—
1906#197241—
1905#201229—
1904#200226—
1903#203206—
1902#185247—
1901#199205—
1900#198256#1,3105
1899#199192—
1898#186246—
1897#189209—
1896#187215—
1895#170247—
1894#181215—
1893#188187—
1892#171216—
1891#175190—
1890#160221—
1889#156194—
1888#159188—
1887#168146—
1886#144175—
1885#151151—
1884#162120—
1883#153116—
1882#159103—
1881#17575—
1880#16977—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Nell was already there! It came in at #169, and was given to 77 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1991–1995, when fewer than 22 girls a year got the name.

Where Nell is popular in 1891

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Nell
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 165 spots since 2024 (#1,457 → #1,622)
  • 635 spots since 2020 (#2,257 → #1,622)
  • 1,224 spots since 2015 (#2,846 → #1,622)
  • Biggest jump: 64 spots in 1950 (#745 → #681)
  • Biggest drop: 185 spots in 1957 (#988 → #1,173)
Rise & fade · girls
6 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1886 at #144 (175 births)
  • Births halved by 1957, 71 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 76 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 76 yrs · run 1880–1954
Share of babies · girls
1 in 826
  • Highest: 1 in 826 girls born in 1886 were named Nell (0.12%)
  • Latest: 1 in 12,557 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 21.9% of all girls named Nell (6,034) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,345#144 (1886)#160
1890s2,138#160 (1890)#181
1900s2,436#185 (1902)#198
1910s5,613#202 (1910)#225
1920s6,034#238 (1921)#271
1930s3,984#284 (1932)#323
1940s2,074#393 (1940)#542
1950s1,122#681 (1950)#944
1960s462#1,181 (1960)#1,788
1970s340#1,939 (1973)#2,419
1980s271#2,391 (1980)#3,324
1990s259#3,237 (1996)#4,241
2000s259#3,703 (2001)#5,112
2010s579#1,773 (2019)#3,352
2020s696#1,457 (2024)#1,792

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Nell in 1891

girls
#175
190 births · 1 in 976 girls

Top girls' names in 1891

  1. #1Mary11,704
  2. #2Anna5,099
  3. #3Margaret3,065
  4. #4Elizabeth3,059
  5. #5Emma2,884
  6. #6Florence2,716
  7. #7Ethel2,689
  8. #8Minnie2,428
  9. #9Helen2,417
  10. #10Bertha2,372
  11. #175Nell190
More about 1891

girls

185,482 girls got a published name in 1891; 1 in 976 of them was named Nell, which outranked 88.6% of the 1,533 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nell
  1. #172Irma193
  2. #173Allie192
  3. #173Millie192
  4. #175Nell190
  5. #176Violet188
  6. #177Celia187
  7. #178Jean181
Biggest movers since 1890
Risers
  1. ↑ 588Aurore#1,338 → #750
  2. ↑ 588Zelpha#1,338 → #750
  3. ↑ 499Leva#1,338 → #839
  4. ↑ 499Vira#1,338 → #839
  5. ↑ 483Sister#1,210 → #727
Fallers
  1. ↓ 574Prudie#758 → #1,332
  2. ↓ 571Delila#642 → #1,213
  3. ↓ 541Elmina#791 → #1,332
  4. ↓ 541Tinnie#791 → #1,332
  5. ↓ 520Dorcas#693 → #1,213

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1891 →