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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201893peak #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.

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 1893

girls
#188
187 births · 1 in 1,139 girls

Top girls' names in 1893

  1. #1Mary12,784
  2. #2Anna5,695
  3. #3Ruth3,658
  4. #4Margaret3,565
  5. #5Elizabeth3,360
  6. #6Helen3,249
  7. #7Florence3,231
  8. #8Ethel3,119
  9. #9Emma2,968
  10. #10Bertha2,623
  11. #188Nell187
More about 1893

girls

212,905 girls got a published name in 1893; 1 in 1,139 of them was named Nell, which outranked 88.6% of the 1,652 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nell
  1. #185Fern189
  2. #185Isabel189
  3. #185Norma189
  4. #188Nell187
  5. #189Naomi186
  6. #189Rena186
  7. #191Vivian185
Biggest movers since 1892
Risers
  1. 737Annabell#1,450#713
  2. 656Helma#1,450#794
  3. 634Claribel#1,278#644
  4. 624Jemima#1,450#826
  5. 616Buena#1,278#662
Fallers
  1. 641Ernest#796#1,437
  2. 576Orah#861#1,437
  3. 576Willia#861#1,437
  4. 551Jennette#726#1,277
  5. 515Velva#762#1,277

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

See the top 100 for 1893