Nelle
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- NEL
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,690 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #4,264 for girls
Nelle is a girls' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,690th for girls in the UK (18 babies) and 4,264th for girls in the US (33 babies).
What does Nelle mean?
English: spelling of Nell
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, was christened Nelle, her grandmother's name Ellen spelled backwards.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Nelle a girl's or a boy's name?
Nelle is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 girls in the UK and 33 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Nelle in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,690among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 18about 1 in 15,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 22% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 18 girls in the UK were named Nelle, making it the 1,690th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,526th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 30 girls.
Half of all the girls named Nelle in the UK since 1996 were born between 2017 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 176 girls in the UK were given Nelle or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #287, up from #1,690 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,639th in England and Wales.
Nelle in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | #1,690 |
| 2024 | 16 | #1,881 |
| 2023 | 26 | #1,322 |
| 2022 | 21 | #1,527 |
| 2021 | 30 | #1,201 |
| 2020 | 21 | #1,526 |
| 2019 | 21 | #1,531 |
| 2018 | 7 | #3,344 |
| 2017 | 19 | #1,711 |
| 2016 | 14 | #2,111 |
| 2015 | 8 | #3,114 |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,888 |
| 2013 | 3 | #6,003 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 4 | #4,980 |
| 2010 | 3 | #5,938 |
| 2009 | 3 | #5,801 |
| 2008 | 4 | #4,742 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 3 | #5,259 |
| 2005 | 3 | #4,976 |
| 2004 | 1 | #6,173 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 3 | #4,284 |
| 2001 | 3 | #4,156 |
How popular is Nelle in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,264among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 33about 1 in 49,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 4% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 33 girls in the US were named Nelle, making it the 4,264th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,840th. Its busiest year was 1917, with 169 girls.
Half of all the girls named Nelle in the US since 1880 were born between 1894 and 1923. It was already well used in 1880, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 167 girls in the US were given Nelle or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,197, up from #4,264 for this spelling alone.
Nelle in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #4,264 |
| 2024 | 26 | #5,018 |
| 2023 | 34 | #4,189 |
| 2022 | 26 | #5,025 |
| 2021 | 29 | #4,603 |
| 2020 | 37 | #3,840 |
| 2019 | 32 | #4,342 |
| 2018 | 28 | #4,766 |
| 2017 | 15 | #7,438 |
| 2016 | 17 | #6,898 |
| 2015 | 18 | #6,719 |
| 2014 | 10 | #10,124 |
| 2013 | 7 | #13,145 |
| 2012 | 12 | #9,105 |
| 2011 | 5 | #16,756 |
| 2010 | 7 | #13,442 |
| 2009 | 7 | #13,698 |
| 2008 | 7 | #13,827 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 8 | #12,415 |
| 2005 | 6 | #14,495 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 7 | #12,049 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 7 | #8,518 |
| 1985 | 5 | #10,672 |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 5 | #10,514 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 5 | #10,390 |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 5 | #9,282 |
| 1975 | 6 | #7,982 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 6 | #7,290 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 10 | #4,488 |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 5 | #6,538 |
| 1964 | 5 | #6,766 |
| 1963 | 5 | #6,591 |
| 1962 | 7 | #5,292 |
| 1961 | 8 | #4,881 |
| 1960 | 7 | #5,167 |
| 1959 | 6 | #5,565 |
| 1958 | 6 | #5,407 |
| 1957 | 9 | #4,201 |
| 1956 | 5 | #5,951 |
| 1955 | 11 | #3,570 |
| 1954 | 13 | #3,156 |
| 1953 | 13 | #3,105 |
| 1952 | 11 | #3,371 |
| 1951 | 9 | #3,713 |
| 1950 | 8 | #3,960 |
| 1949 | 11 | #3,175 |
| 1948 | 10 | #3,349 |
| 1947 | 11 | #3,238 |
| 1946 | 16 | #2,391 |
| 1945 | 17 | #2,059 |
| 1944 | 14 | #2,400 |
| 1943 | 18 | #2,078 |
| 1942 | 19 | #1,980 |
| 1941 | 11 | #2,666 |
| 1940 | 13 | #2,296 |
| 1939 | 26 | #1,474 |
| 1938 | 20 | #1,752 |
| 1937 | 20 | #1,735 |
| 1936 | 28 | #1,375 |
| 1935 | 22 | #1,606 |
| 1934 | 26 | #1,440 |
| 1933 | 27 | #1,400 |
| 1932 | 35 | #1,213 |
| 1931 | 33 | #1,258 |
| 1930 | 45 | #1,101 |
| 1929 | 46 | #1,078 |
| 1928 | 42 | #1,178 |
| 1927 | 66 | #917 |
| 1926 | 68 | #903 |
| 1925 | 84 | #806 |
| 1924 | 99 | #744 |
| 1923 | 106 | #708 |
| 1922 | 94 | #754 |
| 1921 | 135 | #636 |
| 1920 | 128 | #636 |
| 1919 | 125 | #626 |
| 1918 | 152 | #578 |
| 1917 | 169 | #510 |
| 1916 | 141 | #565 |
| 1915 | 139 | #537 |
| 1914 | 127 | #494 |
| 1913 | 105 | #497 |
| 1912 | 100 | #478 |
| 1911 | 78 | #463 |
| 1910 | 65 | #503 |
| 1909 | 75 | #426 |
| 1908 | 52 | #503 |
| 1907 | 72 | #418 |
| 1906 | 82 | #376 |
| 1905 | 85 | #367 |
| 1904 | 66 | #398 |
| 1903 | 53 | #435 |
| 1902 | 82 | #351 |
| 1901 | 77 | #347 |
| 1900 | 91 | #352 |
| 1899 | 87 | #321 |
| 1898 | 109 | #297 |
| 1897 | 97 | #290 |
| 1896 | 89 | #308 |
| 1895 | 112 | #263 |
| 1894 | 113 | #257 |
| 1893 | 120 | #239 |
| 1892 | 133 | #224 |
| 1891 | 122 | #217 |
| 1890 | 143 | #198 |
| 1889 | 119 | #211 |
| 1888 | 105 | #225 |
| 1887 | 100 | #203 |
| 1886 | 98 | #198 |
| 1885 | 109 | #175 |
| 1884 | 92 | #193 |
| 1883 | 76 | #194 |
| 1882 | 59 | #225 |
| 1881 | 72 | #177 |
| 1880 | 65 | #186 |
Names like Nelle
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Olive Florence Grace Lottie Rose Elsie Ottilie Frankie Winnie Hallie Hazel Evie
Other spellings of Nelle
Names related to Nelle
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Carter Harrison
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Nelle: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nelle, updated 20 October 2026.