Meaning not yet researched.
Nellie: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 567 in 2025. Its best rank was #14 in 1881.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #14 in 1881; #533 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Nellie in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#533 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1881, at #14.
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.
Nellie: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 567 girls in 2025. Peak: #14 in 1881 · most girls in one year: 4,048 (1918).
In 2025, 567 US girls were named Nellie, making it the 533rd most common girls’ name of the year, down 12 places from #521 in 2024. That is 25 fewer than the 592 girls named Nellie in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #14, reached in 1881. The most girls given the name in a single year was 4,048, in 1918. For comparison, it was #1,245 in 2015 and #283 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Nellie in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 1,001 babies with the name. In all, 153,284 US babies have been given the name, 99.6% of them girls and 0.4% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1910s, with 30,968 babies named Nellie.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 3,748 US girls were named Nellie; the busiest of those years was 2024, with 592. In 2025 that was about 1 in 2,835 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Nellie ranked highest in Iowa in 2025, at #193 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) and Nella (4,374 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Nelia, Nealie and Nelli are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Nell.
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 Dutch. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Nelia (1,580), Nealie (793), Nelli (385), Neli (319), Nyellie (314), Nyelli (290), Nillie (109), Neelie (90), Nellye (59), Nylie (57), Nelie (37), Nellia (32), and more.
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.
Nellie is listed as a nickname for Ellen, Ellender, Helena, Leonora, Petronella.
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 15 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 17 | #193 | — |
| Maine | 6 | #198 | — |
| Minnesota | 25 | #228 | #598 |
| North Dakota | 5 | #236 | — |
| South Dakota | 5 | #268 | — |
| Kentucky | 17 | #269 | — |
| Indiana | 25 | #290 | #666 |
| Utah | 14 | #327 | #390 |
| Mississippi | 9 | #331 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 32 | #347 | #1,200 |
| Tennessee | 23 | #359 | #1,201 |
| North Carolina | 30 | #368 | — |
| Ohio | 31 | #368 | #1,040 |
| Wisconsin | 14 | #384 | #947 |
| Idaho | 6 | #394 | — |
| Missouri | 15 | #413 | #818 |
| Maryland | 13 | #417 | — |
| Nebraska | 5 | #457 | — |
| Oklahoma | 9 | #473 | — |
| Washington | 15 | #474 | #685 |
| Michigan | 18 | #478 | #653 |
| Colorado | 12 | #485 | — |
| Massachusetts | 10 | #558 | #805 |
| Illinois | 18 | #563 | #1,135 |
| Arizona | 12 | #564 | — |
| Louisiana | 8 | #581 | — |
| Connecticut | 5 | #603 | — |
| New Jersey | 13 | #607 | — |
| Virginia | 12 | #648 | — |
| Alabama | 7 | #696 | — |
| Georgia | 14 | #739 | — |
| New York | 20 | #821 | #1,911 |
| South Carolina | 5 | #883 | — |
| California | 31 | #933 | #1,898 |
| Texas | 24 | #1,147 | #2,331 |
| Florida | 11 | #1,308 | #1,785 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 567 | #533 | — | — |
| 2024 | 592 | #521 | — | — |
| 2023 | 486 | #615 | — | — |
| 2022 | 446 | #663 | — | — |
| 2021 | 384 | #743 | — | — |
| 2020 | 325 | #842 | — | — |
| 2019 | 311 | #864 | — | — |
| 2018 | 239 | #1,070 | — | — |
| 2017 | 196 | #1,228 | — | — |
| 2016 | 202 | #1,222 | — | — |
| 2015 | 197 | #1,245 | — | — |
| 2014 | 183 | #1,303 | — | — |
| 2013 | 158 | #1,434 | — | — |
| 2012 | 139 | #1,572 | — | — |
| 2011 | 116 | #1,767 | — | — |
| 2010 | 118 | #1,757 | — | — |
| 2009 | 125 | #1,752 | — | — |
| 2008 | 113 | #1,886 | — | — |
| 2007 | 119 | #1,800 | — | — |
| 2006 | 99 | #2,013 | — | — |
| 2005 | 84 | #2,198 | — | — |
| 2004 | 97 | #1,938 | — | — |
| 2003 | 88 | #2,041 | — | — |
| 2002 | 93 | #1,909 | — | — |
| 2001 | 85 | #2,007 | — | — |
| 2000 | 68 | #2,300 | — | — |
| 1999 | 85 | #1,868 | — | — |
| 1998 | 86 | #1,815 | — | — |
| 1997 | 76 | #1,923 | — | — |
| 1996 | 76 | #1,910 | — | — |
| 1995 | 87 | #1,697 | — | — |
| 1994 | 76 | #1,884 | — | — |
| 1993 | 71 | #1,982 | — | — |
| 1992 | 82 | #1,780 | — | — |
| 1991 | 81 | #1,774 | — | — |
| 1990 | 118 | #1,353 | — | — |
| 1989 | 98 | #1,487 | — | — |
| 1988 | 97 | #1,433 | — | — |
| 1987 | 72 | #1,694 | — | — |
| 1986 | 96 | #1,357 | — | — |
| 1985 | 106 | #1,274 | — | — |
| 1984 | 114 | #1,172 | — | — |
| 1983 | 129 | #1,078 | — | — |
| 1982 | 127 | #1,112 | — | — |
| 1981 | 135 | #1,059 | — | — |
| 1980 | 138 | #1,041 | — | — |
| 1979 | 154 | #953 | — | — |
| 1978 | 143 | #974 | — | — |
| 1977 | 134 | #1,006 | — | — |
| 1976 | 131 | #974 | — | — |
| 1975 | 151 | #883 | — | — |
| 1974 | 156 | #846 | — | — |
| 1973 | 136 | #910 | — | — |
| 1972 | 151 | #859 | — | — |
| 1971 | 164 | #839 | — | — |
| 1970 | 159 | #852 | — | — |
| 1969 | 147 | #859 | — | — |
| 1968 | 165 | #781 | — | — |
| 1967 | 197 | #697 | — | — |
| 1966 | 213 | #665 | — | — |
| 1965 | 202 | #691 | — | — |
| 1964 | 262 | #627 | — | — |
| 1963 | 259 | #630 | — | — |
| 1962 | 266 | #615 | — | — |
| 1961 | 335 | #537 | — | — |
| 1960 | 363 | #507 | — | — |
| 1959 | 384 | #500 | — | — |
| 1958 | 382 | #489 | — | — |
| 1957 | 432 | #456 | — | — |
| 1956 | 487 | #410 | — | — |
| 1955 | 521 | #386 | — | — |
| 1954 | 550 | #372 | — | — |
| 1953 | 606 | #336 | — | — |
| 1952 | 637 | #321 | — | — |
| 1951 | 604 | #322 | — | — |
| 1950 | 757 | #283 | — | — |
| 1949 | 743 | #281 | — | — |
| 1948 | 891 | #250 | — | — |
| 1947 | 876 | #250 | 6 | #3,634 |
| 1946 | 885 | #240 | — | — |
| 1945 | 933 | #210 | 5 | #3,638 |
| 1944 | 1,011 | #199 | — | — |
| 1943 | 1,077 | #197 | — | — |
| 1942 | 1,207 | #183 | 11 | #2,350 |
| 1941 | 1,284 | #167 | 8 | #2,816 |
| 1940 | 1,300 | #161 | 7 | #3,047 |
| 1939 | 1,373 | #157 | 10 | #2,400 |
| 1938 | 1,454 | #152 | 13 | #2,065 |
| 1937 | 1,590 | #140 | 10 | #2,427 |
| 1936 | 1,665 | #135 | 9 | #2,569 |
| 1935 | 1,738 | #131 | 15 | #1,897 |
| 1934 | 1,837 | #126 | 14 | #1,994 |
| 1933 | 1,867 | #120 | 13 | #2,065 |
| 1932 | 1,979 | #123 | 17 | #1,831 |
| 1931 | 1,987 | #119 | 16 | #1,903 |
| 1930 | 2,213 | #113 | 15 | #2,038 |
| 1929 | 2,198 | #113 | 16 | #1,979 |
| 1928 | 2,346 | #111 | 14 | #2,232 |
| 1927 | 2,678 | #105 | 11 | #2,646 |
| 1926 | 2,722 | #102 | 18 | #1,887 |
| 1925 | 2,937 | #98 | 10 | #2,874 |
| 1924 | 3,075 | #92 | 19 | #1,878 |
| 1923 | 3,184 | #88 | 8 | #3,370 |
| 1922 | 3,274 | #83 | 8 | #3,450 |
| 1921 | 3,513 | #80 | 11 | #2,747 |
| 1920 | 3,762 | #76 | 13 | #2,419 |
| 1919 | 3,726 | #69 | 12 | #2,465 |
| 1918 | 4,048 | #65 | 9 | #3,031 |
| 1917 | 3,808 | #64 | 13 | #2,247 |
| 1916 | 3,862 | #61 | 9 | #2,867 |
| 1915 | 3,679 | #63 | 11 | #2,403 |
| 1914 | 2,952 | #61 | 7 | #2,826 |
| 1913 | 2,645 | #58 | 6 | #2,702 |
| 1912 | 2,365 | #59 | 10 | #1,702 |
| 1911 | 1,866 | #54 | 6 | #1,679 |
| 1910 | 1,928 | #51 | 6 | #1,534 |
| 1909 | 1,768 | #51 | — | — |
| 1908 | 1,757 | #49 | 7 | #1,186 |
| 1907 | 1,671 | #50 | 7 | #1,172 |
| 1906 | 1,596 | #49 | 7 | #1,083 |
| 1905 | 1,626 | #48 | 7 | #1,057 |
| 1904 | 1,560 | #44 | — | — |
| 1903 | 1,491 | #45 | — | — |
| 1902 | 1,566 | #41 | 6 | #1,106 |
| 1901 | 1,454 | #41 | 9 | #762 |
| 1900 | 1,850 | #43 | 12 | #767 |
| 1899 | 1,510 | #41 | 6 | #1,015 |
| 1898 | 1,810 | #36 | 6 | #1,088 |
| 1897 | 1,693 | #37 | 6 | #1,027 |
| 1896 | 1,696 | #34 | 6 | #1,068 |
| 1895 | 1,833 | #30 | 9 | #781 |
| 1894 | 1,767 | #30 | 11 | #658 |
| 1893 | 1,770 | #27 | 16 | #475 |
| 1892 | 1,738 | #30 | 9 | #780 |
| 1891 | 1,647 | #25 | 9 | #682 |
| 1890 | 1,821 | #20 | 9 | #719 |
| 1889 | 1,752 | #19 | 8 | #768 |
| 1888 | 1,736 | #21 | 8 | #798 |
| 1887 | 1,457 | #19 | 10 | #619 |
| 1886 | 1,492 | #17 | 5 | #1,063 |
| 1885 | 1,432 | #16 | 6 | #902 |
| 1884 | 1,417 | #17 | 9 | #688 |
| 1883 | 1,246 | #17 | — | — |
| 1882 | 1,138 | #19 | 6 | #915 |
| 1881 | 1,096 | #14 | 7 | #756 |
| 1880 | 995 | #18 | 6 | #881 |
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).