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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201939peak #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 1939

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedAKMaine: #140 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 677 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedNHWashington: #221 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 1,801 girlsWAIdaho: #175 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 820 girlsIDMontana: #91 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 346 girlsMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #322 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 3,544 girlsMNIllinois: #253 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 2,238 girlsILWisconsin: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedWIMichigan: #274 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 2,766 girlsMINew York: #333 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 3,704 girlsNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedRIOregon: #200 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,315 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedSDIowa: #250 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 2,384 girlsIAIndiana: #156 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 1,058 girlsINOhio: #168 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 1,172 girlsOHPennsylvania: #208 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 1,643 girlsPANew Jersey: #301 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 3,562 girlsNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #203 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 1,113 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedUTColorado: #140 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 628 girlsCONebraska: #191 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,296 girlsNEMissouri: #157 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 894 girlsMOKentucky: #83 for girls · 72 births · 1 in 383 girlsKYWest Virginia: #101 for girls · 42 births · 1 in 447 girlsWVVirginia: #76 for girls · 77 births · 1 in 310 girlsVAMaryland: #130 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 601 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedDEArizona: #30 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 144 girlsAZNew Mexico: #82 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 278 girlsNMKansas: #174 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,025 girlsKSArkansas: #114 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 492 girlsARTennessee: #84 for girls · 79 births · 1 in 344 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #72 for girls · 113 births · 1 in 326 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #73 for girls · 74 births · 1 in 286 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #174 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 870 girlsOKLouisiana: #113 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 435 girlsLAMississippi: #82 for girls · 67 births · 1 in 329 girlsMSAlabama: #67 for girls · 109 births · 1 in 260 girlsALGeorgia: #73 for girls · 101 births · 1 in 308 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedHITexas: #191 for girls · 68 births · 1 in 838 girlsTXFlorida: #126 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 512 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Arizona#30 · 1 in 144
  2. Alabama#67 · 1 in 260
  3. North Carolina#72 · 1 in 326
  4. South Carolina#73 · 1 in 286
  5. Georgia#73 · 1 in 308

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Arizona#30321 in 144
Alabama#671091 in 260
North Carolina#721131 in 326
Georgia#731011 in 308
South Carolina#73741 in 286
Virginia#76771 in 310
Mississippi#82671 in 329
New Mexico#82201 in 278
Kentucky#83721 in 383
Tennessee#84791 in 344
Montana#91121 in 346
West Virginia#101421 in 447
Louisiana#113521 in 435
Arkansas#114371 in 492
Florida#126271 in 512
Maryland#130201 in 601
Colorado#140141 in 628
Maine#14091 in 677
Indiana#156241 in 1,058
Missouri#157301 in 894
Ohio#168431 in 1,172
Kansas#174121 in 1,025
Oklahoma#174231 in 870
Idaho#17551 in 820
Nebraska#19171 in 1,296
Texas#191681 in 838
Oregon#20051 in 1,315
California#203411 in 1,113
Pennsylvania#208441 in 1,643
Washington#22161 in 1,801
Iowa#25081 in 2,384
Illinois#253241 in 2,238
Michigan#274151 in 2,766
New Jersey#30171 in 3,562
Minnesota#32261 in 3,544
New York#333231 in 3,704
Alaska
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Massachusetts
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Wisconsin
Wyoming

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 1939

girls
#157
1,373 births · 1 in 799 girls
boys
#2,288
10 births · 1 in 110,685 boys

Top girls' names in 1939

  1. #1Mary54,900
  2. #2Barbara37,257
  3. #3Patricia29,701
  4. #4Betty23,639
  5. #5Shirley20,447
  6. #6Carol20,166
  7. #7Nancy19,723
  8. #8Judith16,625
  9. #9Dorothy15,169
  10. #10Margaret14,949
  11. #157Nellie1,373

Top boys' names in 1939

  1. #1Robert59,666
  2. #2James59,636
  3. #3John51,025
  4. #4William42,071
  5. #5Richard35,386
  6. #6Charles30,789
  7. #7David25,360
  8. #8Donald24,056
  9. #9Thomas22,129
  10. #10Ronald19,837
  11. #2,288Nellie10
More about 1939

girls

1,096,612 girls got a published name in 1939; 1 in 799 of them was named Nellie, which outranked 96.8% of the 4,950 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nellie
  1. #154Lucy1,409
  2. #155Jessie1,396
  3. #156Harriet1,390
  4. #157Nellie1,373
  5. #158Bessie1,361
  6. #159Paula1,348
  7. #160Rachel1,345
Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. 880April#1,805#925
  2. 865Karel#1,703#838
  3. 725Hedy#1,650#925
  4. 722Vivien#1,703#981
  5. 709Karon#1,547#838
Fallers
  1. 712Eulalia#972#1,684
  2. 446Shelvia#955#1,401
  3. 358Naoma#992#1,350
  4. 304Imelda#890#1,194
  5. 279Helaine#870#1,149

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

boys

1,106,852 boys got a published name in 1939; 1 in 110,685 of them was named Nellie, which outranked 42.3% of the 3,968 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nellie
  1. #2,159Weyman11
  2. #2,159Young11
  3. #2,159Zebedee11
  4. #2,288Nellie10
  5. #2,288Addie10
  6. #2,288Alpha10
  7. #2,288Ambrosio10
  8. #2,449Adin9
  9. #2,449Akira9
  10. #2,449Alferd9

Tied with 160 names at #2,288; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. 463Alfonzo#1,439#976
  2. 447Rod#1,439#992
  3. 443Estel#1,397#954
  4. 422Cameron#1,364#942
  5. 421Turner#1,337#916
Fallers
  1. 518Gonzalo#779#1,297
  2. 497Judge#992#1,489
  3. 396Melville#963#1,359
  4. 355Agustin#883#1,238
  5. 351Antone#921#1,272

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

See the top 100 for 1939