Nels
#4,539 for boys in 2025, 22 births
- Peak · boys
- 1884 · 32 births
- Debut · boys
- 12 births
- In top 100 · boys
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 3,841since 1880
Nels over time
boys
Rank among boys' names. Nels has never cracked the top 300 here.
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
| Year | boys | |
|---|---|---|
| rank | births | |
| 2025 | #4,539 | 22 |
| 2024 | #5,241 | 18 |
| 2023 | #5,075 | 19 |
| 2022 | #5,019 | 19 |
| 2021 | #4,362 | 23 |
| 2020 | #5,451 | 16 |
| 2019 | #6,406 | 13 |
| 2018 | #7,136 | 11 |
| 2017 | #5,526 | 16 |
| 2016 | #5,789 | 15 |
| 2015 | #5,999 | 14 |
| 2014 | #4,538 | 21 |
| 2013 | #9,655 | 7 |
| 2012 | #7,050 | 11 |
| 2011 | #6,578 | 12 |
| 2010 | #5,251 | 17 |
| 2009 | #5,554 | 16 |
| 2008 | #7,698 | 10 |
| 2007 | #6,622 | 12 |
| 2006 | #9,585 | 7 |
| 2005 | #5,278 | 15 |
| 2004 | #6,138 | 12 |
| 2003 | #7,245 | 9 |
| 2002 | #6,522 | 10 |
| 2001 | #5,142 | 14 |
| 2000 | #5,040 | 14 |
| 1999 | #7,139 | 8 |
| 1998 | #4,873 | 13 |
| 1997 | #4,451 | 14 |
| 1996 | #3,549 | 19 |
| 1995 | #5,124 | 11 |
| 1994 | #4,803 | 12 |
| 1993 | #3,501 | 18 |
| 1992 | #3,604 | 17 |
| 1991 | #3,462 | 17 |
| 1990 | #2,780 | 23 |
| 1989 | #2,545 | 25 |
| 1988 | #3,350 | 15 |
| 1987 | #2,468 | 22 |
| 1986 | #2,429 | 22 |
| 1985 | #2,710 | 18 |
| 1984 | #1,979 | 27 |
| 1983 | #2,408 | 20 |
| 1982 | #1,514 | 41 |
| 1981 | #1,811 | 31 |
| 1980 | #1,449 | 43 |
| 1979 | #1,903 | 28 |
| 1978 | #2,134 | 22 |
| 1977 | #1,858 | 27 |
| 1976 | #1,469 | 37 |
| 1975 | #2,134 | 21 |
| 1974 | #1,659 | 29 |
| 1973 | #1,514 | 32 |
| 1972 | #1,871 | 23 |
| 1971 | #1,668 | 28 |
| 1970 | #1,582 | 29 |
| 1969 | #1,396 | 33 |
| 1968 | #1,614 | 24 |
| 1967 | #1,312 | 33 |
| 1966 | #1,164 | 41 |
| 1965 | #1,360 | 32 |
| 1964 | #1,510 | 27 |
| 1963 | #1,255 | 38 |
| 1962 | #1,403 | 31 |
| 1961 | #1,156 | 46 |
| 1960 | #1,273 | 38 |
| 1959 | #1,182 | 43 |
| 1958 | #1,186 | 42 |
| 1957 | #1,185 | 43 |
| 1956 | #1,056 | 51 |
| 1955 | #1,011 | 55 |
| 1954 | #1,242 | 36 |
| 1953 | #1,046 | 48 |
| 1952 | #1,066 | 46 |
| 1951 | #1,070 | 45 |
| 1950 | #1,052 | 45 |
| 1949 | #1,097 | 41 |
| 1948 | #1,194 | 36 |
| 1947 | #1,213 | 36 |
| 1946 | #1,003 | 46 |
| 1945 | #1,296 | 26 |
| 1944 | #1,120 | 35 |
| 1943 | #1,140 | 36 |
| 1942 | #1,167 | 35 |
| 1941 | #1,411 | 23 |
| 1940 | #1,107 | 35 |
| 1939 | #1,168 | 31 |
| 1938 | #1,247 | 28 |
| 1937 | #1,031 | 38 |
| 1936 | #1,205 | 30 |
| 1935 | #1,326 | 26 |
| 1934 | #1,173 | 32 |
| 1933 | #1,013 | 40 |
| 1932 | #1,426 | 24 |
| 1931 | #1,031 | 42 |
| 1930 | #1,428 | 26 |
| 1929 | #1,413 | 26 |
| 1928 | #1,272 | 32 |
| 1927 | #964 | 52 |
| 1926 | #1,144 | 39 |
| 1925 | #998 | 47 |
| 1924 | #1,187 | 37 |
| 1923 | #1,157 | 38 |
| 1922 | #1,158 | 38 |
| 1921 | #1,045 | 45 |
| 1920 | #1,045 | 44 |
| 1919 | #1,207 | 34 |
| 1918 | #809 | 65 |
| 1917 | #946 | 46 |
| 1916 | #810 | 58 |
| 1915 | #816 | 56 |
| 1914 | #788 | 45 |
| 1913 | #745 | 39 |
| 1912 | #800 | 30 |
| 1911 | #759 | 18 |
| 1910 | #981 | 11 |
| 1909 | #893 | 11 |
| 1908 | #744 | 13 |
| 1907 | #634 | 16 |
| 1906 | #752 | 11 |
| 1905 | #636 | 14 |
| 1904 | #966 | 7 |
| 1903 | #783 | 9 |
| 1902 | #583 | 14 |
| 1901 | #779 | 8 |
| 1900 | #968 | 8 |
| 1899 | #521 | 14 |
| 1898 | #473 | 19 |
| 1897 | #556 | 14 |
| 1896 | #424 | 21 |
| 1895 | #437 | 20 |
| 1894 | #419 | 20 |
| 1893 | #307 | 32 |
| 1892 | #445 | 19 |
| 1891 | #411 | 18 |
| 1890 | #489 | 15 |
| 1889 | #446 | 17 |
| 1888 | #314 | 32 |
| 1887 | #377 | 19 |
| 1886 | #470 | 15 |
| 1885 | #399 | 20 |
| 1884 | #306 | 32 |
| 1883 | #402 | 19 |
| 1882 | #347 | 26 |
| 1881 | #395 | 18 |
| 1880 | #526 | 12 |
First appearance
1880
In the first year the SSA published name data, Nels was already there! It came in at #526, and was given to 12 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1903–1904, when fewer than 10 boys a year got the name.
Where Nels is popular in 1912
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · boys
- North Dakota#89 · 1 in 318
Best ever in a state: #89 in North Dakota, 1912.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | #89 | 7 | 1 in 318 |
| Alabama | — | — | — |
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| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Nels
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
- 702 spots since 2024 (#5,241 → #4,539)
- 912 spots since 2020 (#5,451 → #4,539)
- 1,460 spots since 2015 (#5,999 → #4,539)
- Biggest jump: 330 spots in 1905 (#966 → #636)
- Biggest drop: 447 spots in 1900 (#521 → #968)
Rise & fade · boys
4 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1884 at #306 (32 births)
- Births halved by 1886, 2 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 41 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 41 yrs · run 1880–1918
Share of babies · boys
1 in 3,510
- Highest: 1 in 3,510 boys born in 1893 were named Nels (0.03%)
- Latest: 1 in 77,640 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
- Its best rank, #306 in 1884, was only 1 in 3,576 (0.03%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
- 11.8% of all boys named Nels (454) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 210 | #306 (1884) | #398 |
| 1890s | 192 | #307 (1893) | #448 |
| 1900s | 111 | #583 (1902) | #774 |
| 1910s | 402 | #745 (1913) | #866 |
| 1920s | 398 | #964 (1927) | #1,138 |
| 1930s | 317 | #1,013 (1933) | #1,205 |
| 1940s | 349 | #1,003 (1946) | #1,175 |
| 1950s | 454 | #1,011 (1955) | #1,110 |
| 1960s | 343 | #1,156 (1961) | #1,344 |
| 1970s | 276 | #1,469 (1976) | #1,779 |
| 1980s | 264 | #1,449 (1980) | #2,266 |
| 1990s | 152 | #2,780 (1990) | #4,329 |
| 2000s | 119 | #5,040 (2000) | #6,482 |
| 2010s | 137 | #4,538 (2014) | #6,393 |
| 2020s | 117 | #4,362 (2021) | #4,948 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Nels in 1912
boys
#800
30 births · 1 in 14,331 boys
Top boys' names in 1912
More about 1912
boys
429,942 boys got a published name in 1912; 1 in 14,331 of them was named Nels, which outranked 72.5% of the 2,905 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).