Nellie

#533 for girls in 2025, 567 births · Last seen for boys in 1947 at #3,370
Given to girls 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1881 · 1,096 births
Debut · girls
995 births
In top 100 · girls
46 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
152,691
since 1880

Nellie over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201928peak #14, 1881girls
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#533567
2024#521592
2023#615486
2022#663446
2021#743384
2020#840325
2019#861311
2018#1,065239
2017#1,224196
2016#1,217202
2015#1,239197
2014#1,301183
2013#1,432158
2012#1,566139
2011#1,758116
2010#1,751118
2009#1,742125
2008#1,880113
2007#1,792119
2006#2,00399
2005#2,18084
2004#1,92597
2003#2,03388
2002#1,89793
2001#1,99585
2000#2,27768
1999#1,85785
1998#1,80186
1997#1,91476
1996#1,89876
1995#1,68487
1994#1,86276
1993#1,96771
1992#1,77482
1991#1,76681
1990#1,347118
1989#1,47998
1988#1,42797
1987#1,67872
1986#1,35196
1985#1,269106
1984#1,170114
1983#1,071129
1982#1,107127
1981#1,055135
1980#1,034138
1979#950154
1978#969143
1977#1,004134
1976#971131
1975#878151
1974#841156
1973#910136
1972#855151
1971#836164
1970#848159
1969#859147
1968#779165
1967#695197
1966#662213
1965#691202
1964#624262
1963#627259
1962#615266
1961#535335
1960#507363
1959#498384
1958#489382
1957#455432
1956#410487
1955#386521
1954#372550
1953#336606
1952#321637
1951#322604
1950#283757
1949#281743
1948#250891
1947#250876#3,3706
1946#240885
1945#210933#3,3385
1944#1991,011
1943#1971,077
1942#1831,207#2,26811
1941#1671,284#2,6568
1940#1611,300#2,8717
1939#1571,373#2,28810
1938#1521,454#1,97613
1937#1401,590#2,33210
1936#1351,665#2,4529
1935#1311,738#1,83715
1934#1261,837#1,93214
1933#1201,867#1,99713
1932#1231,979#1,77717
1931#1191,987#1,84316
1930#1132,213#1,96415
1929#1132,198#1,93316
1928#1112,346#2,16214
1927#1052,678#2,52311
1926#1022,722#1,84618
1925#982,937#2,75510
1924#923,075#1,83919
1923#883,184#3,1758
1922#833,274#3,2528
1921#803,513#2,63211
1920#763,762#2,33613
1919#693,726#2,38512
1918#654,048#2,8829
1917#643,808#2,18813
1916#613,862#2,7309
1915#633,679#2,31011
1914#612,952#2,6517
1913#582,645#2,4966
1912#592,365#1,61910
1911#541,866#1,5376
1910#511,928#1,4216
1909#511,768
1908#491,757#1,1137
1907#501,671#1,0947
1906#491,596#1,0047
1905#481,626#1,0027
1904#441,560
1903#451,491
1902#411,566#1,0136
1901#411,454#7279
1900#431,850#74312
1899#411,510#9286
1898#361,810#1,0026
1897#371,693#9426
1896#341,696#9826
1895#291,833#7389
1894#301,767#63111
1893#271,770#45916
1892#301,738#7489
1891#251,647#6359
1890#201,821#6679
1889#191,752#7228
1888#211,736#7558
1887#191,457#58310
1886#171,492#9595
1885#161,432#8366
1884#171,417#6639
1883#171,246
1882#191,138#8376
1881#141,096#7067
1880#18995#8096
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Nellie was already there! It came in at #18, and was given to 995 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1991–2006, when fewer than 100 girls a year got the name.

Where Nellie is popular in 1928

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedAKMaine: #141 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 588 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #131 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 667 girlsNHWashington: #112 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 466 girlsWAIdaho: #122 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 438 girlsIDMontana: #68 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 237 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #180 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 1,052 girlsNDMinnesota: #268 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 2,551 girlsMNIllinois: #150 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 882 girlsILWisconsin: #214 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 1,724 girlsWIMichigan: #165 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 1,144 girlsMINew York: #217 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 1,620 girlsNYMassachusetts: #168 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 1,335 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedRIOregon: #113 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 505 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedNVWyoming: #74 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 241 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #137 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 619 girlsSDIowa: #146 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 819 girlsIAIndiana: #123 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 648 girlsINOhio: #123 for girls · 79 births · 1 in 669 girlsOHPennsylvania: #140 for girls · 112 births · 1 in 782 girlsPANew Jersey: #193 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 1,503 girlsNJConnecticut: #143 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 840 girlsCTCalifornia: #123 for girls · 69 births · 1 in 533 girlsCAUtah: #170 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 761 girlsUTColorado: #107 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 420 girlsCONebraska: #129 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 663 girlsNEMissouri: #101 for girls · 69 births · 1 in 415 girlsMOKentucky: #51 for girls · 117 births · 1 in 237 girlsKYWest Virginia: #44 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 201 girlsWVVirginia: #43 for girls · 129 births · 1 in 194 girlsVAMaryland: #110 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 514 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedDEArizona: #24 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 132 girlsAZNew Mexico: #51 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 214 girlsNMKansas: #105 for girls · 33 births · 1 in 429 girlsKSArkansas: #76 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 294 girlsARTennessee: #58 for girls · 112 births · 1 in 240 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #38 for girls · 208 births · 1 in 184 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #64 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 248 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #100 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 497 girlsDCOklahoma: #89 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 375 girlsOKLouisiana: #140 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 569 girlsLAMississippi: #78 for girls · 77 births · 1 in 291 girlsMSAlabama: #44 for girls · 161 births · 1 in 193 girlsALGeorgia: #56 for girls · 133 births · 1 in 236 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedHITexas: #110 for girls · 122 births · 1 in 494 girlsTXFlorida: #86 for girls · 42 births · 1 in 326 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Arizona#24 · 1 in 132
  2. North Carolina#38 · 1 in 184
  3. Virginia#43 · 1 in 194
  4. Alabama#44 · 1 in 193
  5. West Virginia#44 · 1 in 201

Best ever in a state: #11 in Arizona, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Arizona#24301 in 132
North Carolina#382081 in 184
Virginia#431291 in 194
Alabama#441611 in 193
West Virginia#44971 in 201
Kentucky#511171 in 237
New Mexico#51201 in 214
Georgia#561331 in 236
Tennessee#581121 in 240
South Carolina#64851 in 248
Montana#68161 in 237
Wyoming#7461 in 241
Arkansas#76631 in 294
Mississippi#78771 in 291
Florida#86421 in 326
Oklahoma#89631 in 375
District of Columbia#10071 in 497
Missouri#101691 in 415
Kansas#105331 in 429
Colorado#107201 in 420
Maryland#110261 in 514
Texas#1101221 in 494
Washington#112201 in 466
Oregon#113111 in 505
Idaho#12281 in 438
California#123691 in 533
Indiana#123391 in 648
Ohio#123791 in 669
Nebraska#129171 in 663
New Hampshire#13151 in 667
South Dakota#13791 in 619
Louisiana#140381 in 569
Pennsylvania#1401121 in 782
Maine#141111 in 588
Connecticut#143141 in 840
Iowa#146231 in 819
Illinois#150651 in 882
Michigan#165361 in 1,144
Massachusetts#168251 in 1,335
Utah#17061 in 761
North Dakota#18061 in 1,052
New Jersey#193201 in 1,503
Wisconsin#214141 in 1,724
New York#217611 in 1,620
Minnesota#26881 in 2,551
Alaska
Delaware
Hawaii
Nevada
Rhode Island
Vermont

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls 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 Nellie
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 12 spots since 2024 (#521#533)
  • 307 spots since 2020 (#840#533)
  • 706 spots since 2015 (#1,239#533)
  • Biggest jump: 204 spots in 2019 (#1,065#861)
  • Biggest drop: 93 spots in 1976 (#878#971)
Rise & fade · girls
1 yr to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1881 at #14 (1,096 births)
  • Births halved by 1955, 74 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 46 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 46 yrs · run 1880–1925
  • Top 1,000: 106 yrs · run 1880–1976
Share of babies · girls
1 in 84
  • Highest: 1 in 84 girls born in 1881 were named Nellie (1.2%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,835 girls born in 2025 (0.04%)
Era · girls
The 1910s
  • 20.2% of all girls named Nellie (30,879) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s13,761#14 (1881)#18
1890s17,285#20 (1890)#31
1900s16,339#41 (1902)#46
1910s30,879#51 (1910)#61
1920s29,689#76 (1920)#95
1930s17,703#113 (1930)#132
1940s10,207#161 (1940)#214
1950s5,360#283 (1950)#387
1960s2,409#507 (1960)#659
1970s1,479#836 (1971)#906
1980s1,112#1,034 (1980)#1,264
1990s838#1,347 (1990)#1,787
2000s971#1,742 (2009)#1,972
2010s1,859#861 (2019)#1,341
2020s2,800#521 (2024)#653

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.

Nellie in 1928

girls
#111
2,346 births · 1 in 492 girls
boys
#2,162
14 births · 1 in 79,115 boys

Top girls' names in 1928

  1. #1Mary66,871
  2. #2Betty36,083
  3. #3Dorothy33,733
  4. #4Helen22,937
  5. #5Margaret20,295
  6. #6Ruth17,859
  7. #7Doris16,575
  8. #8Barbara14,872
  9. #9Virginia14,500
  10. #10Shirley14,215
  11. #111Nellie2,346

Top boys' names in 1928

  1. #1Robert60,701
  2. #2John53,760
  3. #3James52,752
  4. #4William49,118
  5. #5Charles31,243
  6. #6Richard28,793
  7. #7Donald25,704
  8. #8George24,391
  9. #9Joseph22,322
  10. #10Edward18,492
  11. #2,162Nellie14
More about 1928

girls

1,153,318 girls got a published name in 1928; 1 in 492 of them was named Nellie, which outranked 98.0% of the 5,440 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nellie
  1. #108Margie2,437
  2. #109Jessie2,423
  3. #110Pearl2,367
  4. #111Nellie2,346
  5. #112Lucy2,322
  6. #112Violet2,322
  7. #114Velma2,290
Biggest movers since 1927
Risers
  1. 2,165Jeanine#3,053#888
  2. 1,368Joline#2,256#888
  3. 1,101Lorelei#2,095#994
  4. 1,063Jeannine#1,384#321
  5. 859Romona#1,456#597
Fallers
  1. 860Valencia#924#1,784
  2. 547Kazuko#955#1,502
  3. 386Matilde#924#1,310
  4. 368Glendora#747#1,115
  5. 366Hilma#924#1,290

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

boys

1,107,613 boys got a published name in 1928; 1 in 79,115 of them was named Nellie, which outranked 54.2% of the 4,723 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nellie
  1. #2,048Wanda15
  2. #2,048Wash15
  3. #2,048Westley15
  4. #2,162Nellie14
  5. #2,162Adell14
  6. #2,162Albertus14
  7. #2,162Alphonzo14
  8. #2,270Abbie13
  9. #2,270Alberta13
  10. #2,270Almer13

Tied with 107 names at #2,162; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1927
Risers
  1. 1,009Fidencio#1,959#950
  2. 766Hoover#1,128#362
  3. 700Reyes#1,692#992
  4. 441Arlen#1,227#786
  5. 392Arland#1,372#980
Fallers
  1. 2,975Shoji#722#3,697
  2. 529Alvan#951#1,480
  3. 418Watson#964#1,382
  4. 412Judge#911#1,323
  5. 363Donato#990#1,353

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

See the top 100 for 1928