Nelly
#1,291 for girls in 2025, 173 births · #8,243 for boys in 2025, 9 births
Given to girls 99.0% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1882 · 10 births
- Debut · girls
- 10 births
- In top 100 · girls
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 7,792since 1882
Nelly over time
Rank among girls' names. Nelly has never cracked the top 500 here.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,291 | 173 | #8,243 | 9 |
| 2024 | #1,358 | 168 | #10,938 | 6 |
| 2023 | #1,514 | 142 | #12,239 | 5 |
| 2022 | #1,422 | 158 | — | |
| 2021 | #1,554 | 135 | #8,166 | 9 |
| 2020 | #2,023 | 92 | — | |
| 2019 | #1,495 | 146 | #10,803 | 6 |
| 2018 | #1,978 | 99 | — | |
| 2017 | #1,677 | 128 | — | |
| 2016 | #1,929 | 104 | — | |
| 2015 | #1,719 | 122 | #10,644 | 6 |
| 2014 | #1,562 | 139 | — | |
| 2013 | #1,642 | 130 | — | |
| 2012 | #1,432 | 159 | — | |
| 2011 | #1,509 | 147 | — | |
| 2010 | #1,420 | 161 | #9,693 | 7 |
| 2009 | #1,258 | 194 | — | |
| 2008 | #1,274 | 195 | — | |
| 2007 | #1,205 | 208 | #12,367 | 5 |
| 2006 | #1,428 | 158 | #9,585 | 7 |
| 2005 | #1,425 | 150 | #9,115 | 7 |
| 2004 | #1,353 | 156 | — | |
| 2003 | #1,305 | 159 | #8,643 | 7 |
| 2002 | #1,345 | 144 | #10,667 | 5 |
| 2001 | #1,560 | 119 | — | |
| 2000 | #1,571 | 113 | — | |
| 1999 | #1,857 | 85 | — | |
| 1998 | #1,921 | 79 | — | |
| 1997 | #1,784 | 84 | — | |
| 1996 | #1,532 | 104 | — | |
| 1995 | #1,562 | 97 | — | |
| 1994 | #1,476 | 107 | — | |
| 1993 | #1,577 | 97 | — | |
| 1992 | #1,329 | 126 | — | |
| 1991 | #1,642 | 91 | — | |
| 1990 | #1,503 | 103 | — | |
| 1989 | #1,818 | 73 | — | |
| 1988 | #1,477 | 92 | — | |
| 1987 | #1,581 | 79 | — | |
| 1986 | #1,691 | 69 | — | |
| 1985 | #1,483 | 83 | — | |
| 1984 | #1,604 | 69 | — | |
| 1983 | #1,608 | 69 | — | |
| 1982 | #1,429 | 85 | — | |
| 1981 | #1,490 | 81 | — | |
| 1980 | #1,644 | 70 | — | |
| 1979 | #1,753 | 62 | — | |
| 1978 | #1,374 | 85 | — | |
| 1977 | #1,498 | 73 | — | |
| 1976 | #1,373 | 78 | — | |
| 1975 | #1,586 | 62 | — | |
| 1974 | #1,351 | 77 | — | |
| 1973 | #1,666 | 54 | — | |
| 1972 | #1,804 | 47 | — | |
| 1971 | #1,828 | 48 | — | |
| 1970 | #1,828 | 48 | — | |
| 1969 | #2,058 | 37 | — | |
| 1968 | #1,776 | 44 | — | |
| 1967 | #1,783 | 42 | — | |
| 1966 | #1,859 | 38 | — | |
| 1965 | #1,950 | 35 | — | |
| 1964 | #1,747 | 44 | — | |
| 1963 | #1,787 | 42 | — | |
| 1962 | #1,690 | 45 | — | |
| 1961 | #1,838 | 39 | — | |
| 1960 | #1,393 | 62 | — | |
| 1959 | #1,435 | 56 | — | |
| 1958 | #1,578 | 46 | — | |
| 1957 | #1,784 | 37 | — | |
| 1956 | #1,413 | 55 | — | |
| 1955 | #1,334 | 57 | — | |
| 1954 | #1,739 | 35 | — | |
| 1953 | #1,834 | 30 | — | |
| 1952 | #1,892 | 28 | — | |
| 1951 | #2,314 | 19 | — | |
| 1950 | #2,121 | 21 | — | |
| 1949 | #2,134 | 21 | — | |
| 1948 | #2,416 | 17 | — | |
| 1947 | #1,822 | 28 | — | |
| 1946 | #3,994 | 7 | — | |
| 1945 | #2,237 | 15 | — | |
| 1944 | #3,139 | 9 | — | |
| 1943 | #2,695 | 12 | — | |
| 1942 | #1,917 | 20 | — | |
| 1941 | #3,030 | 9 | — | |
| 1940 | #1,682 | 22 | — | |
| 1939 | #1,684 | 21 | — | |
| 1938 | #2,940 | 9 | — | |
| 1937 | #1,784 | 19 | — | |
| 1936 | #2,857 | 9 | — | |
| 1935 | #2,206 | 14 | — | |
| 1934 | #1,913 | 17 | — | |
| 1933 | #2,161 | 14 | — | |
| 1932 | #2,365 | 13 | — | |
| 1931 | #1,750 | 20 | — | |
| 1930 | #1,535 | 26 | — | |
| 1929 | #2,191 | 15 | — | |
| 1928 | #1,680 | 24 | — | |
| 1927 | #2,169 | 17 | — | |
| 1926 | #1,541 | 28 | — | |
| 1925 | #1,647 | 26 | — | |
| 1924 | #2,062 | 19 | — | |
| 1923 | #1,840 | 22 | — | |
| 1922 | #2,109 | 18 | — | |
| 1921 | #1,988 | 20 | — | |
| 1920 | #1,889 | 21 | — | |
| 1919 | #2,063 | 17 | — | |
| 1918 | #1,887 | 20 | — | |
| 1917 | #1,552 | 24 | — | |
| 1916 | #2,833 | 10 | — | |
| 1915 | #1,800 | 18 | — | |
| 1914 | #1,896 | 13 | — | |
| 1913 | #1,601 | 14 | — | |
| 1912 | #2,360 | 7 | — | |
| 1911 | — | — | ||
| 1910 | #1,935 | 7 | — | |
| 1909 | #1,763 | 7 | — | |
| 1908 | #2,101 | 5 | — | |
| 1907 | #1,639 | 7 | — | |
| 1906 | #1,553 | 7 | — | |
| 1905 | #1,931 | 5 | — | |
| 1904 | #1,659 | 6 | — | |
| 1903 | #1,318 | 8 | — | |
| 1902 | #1,320 | 8 | — | |
| 1901 | #1,136 | 9 | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | ||
| 1899 | — | — | ||
| 1898 | — | — | ||
| 1897 | #1,385 | 6 | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | ||
| 1895 | #1,426 | 6 | — | |
| 1894 | — | — | ||
| 1893 | #1,437 | 5 | — | |
| 1892 | #1,450 | 5 | — | |
| 1891 | — | — | ||
| 1890 | #1,006 | 8 | — | |
| 1889 | — | — | ||
| 1888 | #894 | 9 | — | |
| 1887 | #788 | 9 | — | |
| 1886 | #1,108 | 5 | — | |
| 1885 | #745 | 9 | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | #692 | 8 | — | |
| 1882 | #596 | 10 | — | |
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
The first year at least five girls were named Nelly! It came in at #596, and was given to 10 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1884, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.
Where Nelly is popular in 1888
The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.
See more about Nelly
- 67 spots since 2024 (#1,358 → #1,291)
- 732 spots since 2020 (#2,023 → #1,291)
- 428 spots since 2015 (#1,719 → #1,291)
- Biggest jump: 320 spots in 1887 (#1,108 → #788)
- Biggest drop: 363 spots in 1886 (#745 → #1,108)
- Debuted 1882
- Peaked 1882 at #596 (10 births)
- Births halved by 1884, 2 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 5 yrs · run 1882–1883
- Highest: 1 in 9,243 girls born in 2007 were named Nelly (0.01%)
- Latest: 1 in 9,291 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
- Its best rank, #596 in 1882, was only 1 in 10,785 (0.01%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 20.5% of all girls named Nelly (1,596) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 50 | #596 (1882) | #804 |
| 1890s | 30 | #1,006 (1890) | #1,341 |
| 1900s | 62 | #1,136 (1901) | #1,602 |
| 1910s | 130 | #1,552 (1917) | #1,992 |
| 1920s | 210 | #1,541 (1926) | #1,912 |
| 1930s | 162 | #1,535 (1930) | #2,120 |
| 1940s | 160 | #1,682 (1940) | #2,507 |
| 1950s | 384 | #1,334 (1955) | #1,744 |
| 1960s | 428 | #1,393 (1960) | #1,788 |
| 1970s | 634 | #1,351 (1974) | #1,606 |
| 1980s | 770 | #1,429 (1982) | #1,583 |
| 1990s | 973 | #1,329 (1992) | #1,618 |
| 2000s | 1,596 | #1,205 (2007) | #1,372 |
| 2010s | 1,335 | #1,420 (2010) | #1,636 |
| 2020s | 868 | #1,291 (2025) | #1,527 |
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.
Nelly in 1888
Top girls' names in 1888
More about 1888
girls
178,622 girls got a published name in 1888; 1 in 19,847 of them was named Nelly, which outranked 39.3% of the 1,474 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- #837Verona10
- #837Vira10
- #837Zelia10
- #894Nelly9
- #894Abby9
- #894Aletha9
- #894Alverta9
- #959Adline8
- #959Agness8
- #959Aida8
Tied with 64 names at #894; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
- ↓ 643Anabel#633 → #1,276
- ↓ 583Tennessee#693 → #1,276
- ↓ 576Diana#560 → #1,136
- ↓ 576Hope#560 → #1,136
- ↓ 550Margaretha#586 → #1,136
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.