Meaning not yet researched.
Nell: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 128 in 2025. Its best rank was #144 in 1886.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #144 in 1886; #1,628 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Nell in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,628 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1886, at #144.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Nell: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 128 girls in 2025. Peak: #144 in 1886 · most girls in one year: 766 (1917).
In 2025, 128 US girls were named Nell, making it the 1,628th most common girls’ name of the year, down 165 places from #1,463 in 2024. That is 22 fewer than the 150 girls named Nell in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #144, reached in 1886. The most girls given the name in a single year was 766, in 1917. For comparison, it was #2,879 in 2015 and #684 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Nell in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 77 babies with the name. In all, 27,710 US babies have been given the name, 99.6% of them girls and 0.4% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 6,063 babies named Nell.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 1,040 US girls were named Nell; the busiest of those years was 2024, with 150. In 2025 that was about 1 in 12,557 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Nell ranked highest in Massachusetts in 2025, at #734 for girls there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Nelly (7,871 babies since 1880), Nelle (5,794 babies since 1880), Neil (105,254 babies since 1880) and Neal (55,305 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Nyelle, Nielle and Nyele are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in English and French. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Nyelle (579), Nielle (117), Nyele (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Nell in the open dataset we use.
Nell is listed as a nickname for Ellen, Helena, Leonora, Nellie.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 40 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 7 | #734 | — |
| Colorado | 7 | #770 | — |
| Illinois | 11 | #838 | — |
| New Jersey | 8 | #909 | — |
| Washington | 6 | #1,014 | — |
| Tennessee | 6 | #1,090 | — |
| New York | 11 | #1,289 | #1,577 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | #1,349 | — |
| Florida | 6 | #2,079 | — |
| California | 8 | #2,432 | — |
| Texas | 8 | #2,572 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 128 | #1,628 | — | — |
| 2024 | 150 | #1,463 | — | — |
| 2023 | 124 | #1,679 | — | — |
| 2022 | 119 | #1,749 | — | — |
| 2021 | 96 | #2,020 | — | — |
| 2020 | 79 | #2,273 | — | — |
| 2019 | 115 | #1,784 | — | — |
| 2018 | 72 | #2,471 | — | — |
| 2017 | 87 | #2,196 | — | — |
| 2016 | 70 | #2,556 | — | — |
| 2015 | 61 | #2,879 | — | — |
| 2014 | 42 | #3,701 | — | — |
| 2013 | 44 | #3,557 | — | — |
| 2012 | 32 | #4,574 | — | — |
| 2011 | 32 | #4,538 | — | — |
| 2010 | 24 | #5,741 | — | — |
| 2009 | 30 | #4,904 | — | — |
| 2008 | 20 | #6,743 | — | — |
| 2007 | 24 | #5,850 | — | — |
| 2006 | 30 | #4,764 | — | — |
| 2005 | 27 | #4,925 | — | — |
| 2004 | 19 | #6,431 | — | — |
| 2003 | 23 | #5,360 | — | — |
| 2002 | 23 | #5,223 | — | — |
| 2001 | 35 | #3,762 | — | — |
| 2000 | 28 | #4,371 | — | — |
| 1999 | 31 | #3,862 | — | — |
| 1998 | 32 | #3,713 | — | — |
| 1997 | 32 | #3,599 | — | — |
| 1996 | 36 | #3,282 | — | — |
| 1995 | 18 | #5,378 | — | — |
| 1994 | 19 | #5,174 | — | — |
| 1993 | 19 | #5,135 | — | — |
| 1992 | 20 | #4,986 | — | — |
| 1991 | 21 | #4,759 | — | — |
| 1990 | 31 | #3,489 | — | — |
| 1989 | 24 | #4,085 | — | — |
| 1988 | 25 | #3,773 | — | — |
| 1987 | 29 | #3,233 | — | — |
| 1986 | 22 | #3,843 | — | — |
| 1985 | 24 | #3,591 | — | — |
| 1984 | 28 | #3,120 | — | — |
| 1983 | 29 | #2,959 | — | — |
| 1982 | 28 | #3,148 | — | — |
| 1981 | 22 | #3,699 | — | — |
| 1980 | 40 | #2,422 | — | — |
| 1979 | 36 | #2,561 | — | — |
| 1978 | 26 | #3,065 | — | — |
| 1977 | 26 | #3,054 | 6 | #5,636 |
| 1976 | 28 | #2,775 | — | — |
| 1975 | 34 | #2,392 | — | — |
| 1974 | 43 | #1,987 | — | — |
| 1973 | 42 | #1,966 | — | — |
| 1972 | 34 | #2,262 | — | — |
| 1971 | 35 | #2,285 | — | — |
| 1970 | 36 | #2,225 | — | — |
| 1969 | 38 | #2,045 | — | — |
| 1968 | 32 | #2,154 | — | — |
| 1967 | 29 | #2,254 | — | — |
| 1966 | 30 | #2,180 | — | — |
| 1965 | 37 | #1,904 | — | — |
| 1964 | 49 | #1,657 | — | — |
| 1963 | 53 | #1,560 | — | — |
| 1962 | 42 | #1,774 | — | — |
| 1961 | 67 | #1,369 | — | — |
| 1960 | 85 | #1,183 | — | — |
| 1959 | 78 | #1,212 | — | — |
| 1958 | 88 | #1,135 | — | — |
| 1957 | 81 | #1,175 | — | — |
| 1956 | 106 | #997 | — | — |
| 1955 | 97 | #1,022 | — | — |
| 1954 | 110 | #918 | — | — |
| 1953 | 137 | #784 | — | — |
| 1952 | 128 | #805 | — | — |
| 1951 | 140 | #743 | — | — |
| 1950 | 157 | #684 | — | — |
| 1949 | 132 | #747 | — | — |
| 1948 | 182 | #613 | — | — |
| 1947 | 181 | #625 | — | — |
| 1946 | 197 | #568 | — | — |
| 1945 | 184 | #540 | — | — |
| 1944 | 176 | #546 | — | — |
| 1943 | 225 | #498 | — | — |
| 1942 | 261 | #461 | — | — |
| 1941 | 240 | #441 | — | — |
| 1940 | 296 | #393 | — | — |
| 1939 | 271 | #410 | 5 | #3,824 |
| 1938 | 331 | #356 | — | — |
| 1937 | 321 | #360 | — | — |
| 1936 | 351 | #332 | — | — |
| 1935 | 390 | #319 | 6 | #3,533 |
| 1934 | 427 | #302 | — | — |
| 1933 | 443 | #286 | 9 | #2,671 |
| 1932 | 483 | #284 | — | — |
| 1931 | 456 | #294 | — | — |
| 1930 | 511 | #294 | — | — |
| 1929 | 489 | #296 | — | — |
| 1928 | 498 | #301 | 6 | #4,011 |
| 1927 | 562 | #283 | 6 | #4,060 |
| 1926 | 531 | #291 | — | — |
| 1925 | 627 | #266 | — | — |
| 1924 | 635 | #262 | 5 | #4,769 |
| 1923 | 624 | #257 | 5 | #4,693 |
| 1922 | 647 | #257 | 7 | #3,767 |
| 1921 | 760 | #238 | — | — |
| 1920 | 661 | #256 | — | — |
| 1919 | 666 | #248 | 8 | #3,299 |
| 1918 | 687 | #246 | 9 | #3,030 |
| 1917 | 766 | #221 | — | — |
| 1916 | 722 | #226 | 7 | #3,404 |
| 1915 | 689 | #228 | — | — |
| 1914 | 530 | #232 | — | — |
| 1913 | 491 | #211 | 8 | #2,213 |
| 1912 | 422 | #218 | — | — |
| 1911 | 322 | #220 | — | — |
| 1910 | 318 | #203 | 6 | #1,533 |
| 1909 | 277 | #207 | — | — |
| 1908 | 288 | #193 | — | — |
| 1907 | 261 | #201 | — | — |
| 1906 | 241 | #197 | — | — |
| 1905 | 229 | #201 | — | — |
| 1904 | 226 | #200 | — | — |
| 1903 | 206 | #204 | — | — |
| 1902 | 247 | #186 | — | — |
| 1901 | 205 | #200 | — | — |
| 1900 | 256 | #198 | 5 | #1,440 |
| 1899 | 192 | #201 | — | — |
| 1898 | 246 | #186 | — | — |
| 1897 | 209 | #190 | — | — |
| 1896 | 215 | #187 | — | — |
| 1895 | 247 | #171 | — | — |
| 1894 | 215 | #181 | — | — |
| 1893 | 187 | #188 | — | — |
| 1892 | 216 | #172 | — | — |
| 1891 | 190 | #175 | — | — |
| 1890 | 221 | #160 | — | — |
| 1889 | 194 | #156 | — | — |
| 1888 | 188 | #159 | — | — |
| 1887 | 146 | #168 | — | — |
| 1886 | 175 | #144 | — | — |
| 1885 | 151 | #151 | — | — |
| 1884 | 120 | #162 | — | — |
| 1883 | 116 | #154 | — | — |
| 1882 | 103 | #159 | — | — |
| 1881 | 75 | #175 | — | — |
| 1880 | 77 | #170 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).