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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201940peak #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 1940

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedAKMaine: #115 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 513 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedNHWashington: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedWAIdaho: #156 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 712 girlsIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedMNIllinois: #289 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 2,961 girlsILWisconsin: #340 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 4,837 girlsWIMichigan: #304 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 3,644 girlsMINew York: #363 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 4,272 girlsNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedORNevada: 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: #184 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 1,409 girlsIAIndiana: #145 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 926 girlsINOhio: #186 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 1,464 girlsOHPennsylvania: #198 for girls · 51 births · 1 in 1,471 girlsPANew Jersey: #281 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 3,230 girlsNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #229 for girls · 33 births · 1 in 1,513 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedUTColorado: #144 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 606 girlsCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedNEMissouri: #144 for girls · 33 births · 1 in 848 girlsMOKentucky: #99 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 448 girlsKYWest Virginia: #89 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 421 girlsWVVirginia: #96 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 405 girlsVAMaryland: #186 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 1,182 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedDEArizona: #47 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 186 girlsAZNew Mexico: #49 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 196 girlsNMKansas: #206 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,538 girlsKSArkansas: #127 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 562 girlsARTennessee: #88 for girls · 71 births · 1 in 397 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #88 for girls · 108 births · 1 in 349 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #84 for girls · 66 births · 1 in 332 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Nellie, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #154 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 747 girlsOKLouisiana: #184 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 755 girlsLAMississippi: #93 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 359 girlsMSAlabama: #65 for girls · 114 births · 1 in 259 girlsALGeorgia: #75 for girls · 107 births · 1 in 297 girlsGAHawaii: #156 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 563 girlsHITexas: #198 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 925 girlsTXFlorida: #110 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 436 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Arizona#47 · 1 in 186
  2. New Mexico#49 · 1 in 196
  3. Alabama#65 · 1 in 259
  4. Georgia#75 · 1 in 297
  5. South Carolina#84 · 1 in 332

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Arizona#47261 in 186
New Mexico#49301 in 196
Alabama#651141 in 259
Georgia#751071 in 297
South Carolina#84661 in 332
North Carolina#881081 in 349
Tennessee#88711 in 397
West Virginia#89451 in 421
Mississippi#93631 in 359
Virginia#96611 in 405
Kentucky#99641 in 448
Florida#110341 in 436
Maine#115121 in 513
Arkansas#127341 in 562
Colorado#144151 in 606
Missouri#144331 in 848
Indiana#145291 in 926
Oklahoma#154271 in 747
Hawaii#15661 in 563
Idaho#15661 in 712
Iowa#184141 in 1,409
Louisiana#184311 in 755
Maryland#186111 in 1,182
Ohio#186361 in 1,464
Pennsylvania#198511 in 1,471
Texas#198651 in 925
Kansas#20681 in 1,538
California#229331 in 1,513
New Jersey#28181 in 3,230
Illinois#289191 in 2,961
Michigan#304121 in 3,644
Wisconsin#34051 in 4,837
New York#363211 in 4,272
Alaska
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Washington
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 1940

girls
#161
1,300 births · 1 in 880 girls
boys
#2,871
7 births · 1 in 165,596 boys

Top girls' names in 1940

  1. #1Mary56,216
  2. #2Barbara36,736
  3. #3Patricia32,665
  4. #4Judith22,385
  5. #5Betty22,077
  6. #6Carol21,759
  7. #7Nancy19,737
  8. #8Linda18,370
  9. #9Shirley17,881
  10. #10Sandra16,153
  11. #161Nellie1,300

Top boys' names in 1940

  1. #1James62,481
  2. #2Robert61,198
  3. #3John54,786
  4. #4William44,779
  5. #5Richard37,425
  6. #6Charles31,689
  7. #7David27,690
  8. #8Thomas23,991
  9. #9Donald23,115
  10. #10Ronald20,741
  11. #2,871Nellie7
More about 1940

girls

1,143,528 girls got a published name in 1940; 1 in 880 of them was named Nellie, which outranked 96.8% of the 5,028 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nellie
  1. #158Jessie1,336
  2. #159Vera1,322
  3. #160Joy1,310
  4. #161Nellie1,300
  5. #162Bessie1,297
  6. #163Mattie1,292
  7. #164Emily1,269
Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 2,494Scarlett#3,429#935
  2. 1,465Lonna#2,206#741
  3. 834Pam#1,797#963
  4. 659Jody#1,638#979
  5. 633Laraine#1,474#841
Fallers
  1. 481Fredia#996#1,477
  2. 430Eleanora#974#1,404
  3. 375Danielle#811#1,186
  4. 342Eloisa#930#1,272
  5. 298Coral#996#1,294

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

boys

1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 165,596 of them was named Nellie, which outranked 27.1% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nellie
  1. #2,671Yancey8
  2. #2,671Zebbie8
  3. #2,671Zeke8
  4. #2,871Nellie7
  5. #2,871Acey7
  6. #2,871Adalberto7
  7. #2,871Adelard7
  8. #3,130Abbie6
  9. #3,130Abdul6
  10. #3,130Ad6

Tied with 258 names at #2,871; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 565Whitney#1,458#893
  2. 447Gonzalo#1,297#850
  3. 419Weston#1,323#904
  4. 368Ashley#1,272#904
  5. 366Agustin#1,238#872
Fallers
  1. 886Montie#916#1,802
  2. 446Verlon#888#1,334
  3. 394Issac#857#1,251
  4. 392Otho#942#1,334
  5. 384Pearl#867#1,251

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

See the top 100 for 1940