Nelli
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- NEL-ee
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #4,935 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #5,098 for girls
Nelli is a girls' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 4,935th for girls in the UK (4 babies) and 5,098th for girls in the US (25 babies).
What does Nelli mean?
English: spelling of Nellie; English pet form of Eleanor, Ellen and Helen
Soprano Nellie Melba, honoured by the dessert peach Melba, was born Helen Mitchell.
Meaning borrowed from Nellie. More on Wiktionary.
Is Nelli a girl's or a boy's name?
Nelli is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 girls in the UK and 25 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Nelli in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,935among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 4about 1 in 70,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 37% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 4 girls in the UK were named Nelli, making it the 4,935th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,734th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 10 girls.
Half of all the girls named Nelli in the UK since 1996 were born between 2015 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 613 girls in the UK were given Nelli or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #95, up from #4,935 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 4,866th in England and Wales.
Nelli in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #4,935 |
| 2024 | 6 | #3,758 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,864 |
| 2020 | 3 | #5,734 |
| 2019 | 6 | #3,738 |
| 2018 | 7 | #3,344 |
| 2017 | 5 | #4,250 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 10 | #2,629 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 5 | #4,267 |
| 2012 | 5 | #4,390 |
| 2011 | 3 | #6,007 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 1 | #5,054 |
How popular is Nelli in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,098among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 25about 1 in 64,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 25 girls in the US were named Nelli, making it the 5,098th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,079th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 25 girls. It first appears in the records in 1977.
Half of all the girls named Nelli in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 783 girls in the US were given Nelli or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #422, up from #5,098 for this spelling alone.
Nelli in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25 | #5,098 |
| 2024 | 19 | #6,164 |
| 2023 | 19 | #6,164 |
| 2022 | 20 | #5,981 |
| 2021 | 25 | #5,087 |
| 2020 | 19 | #6,079 |
| 2019 | 22 | #5,608 |
| 2018 | 15 | #7,405 |
| 2017 | 11 | #9,337 |
| 2016 | 7 | #12,871 |
| 2015 | 9 | #10,861 |
| 2014 | 11 | #9,512 |
| 2013 | 13 | #8,575 |
| 2012 | 10 | #10,424 |
| 2011 | 15 | #7,779 |
| 2010 | 13 | #8,697 |
| 2009 | 12 | #9,375 |
| 2008 | 19 | #6,796 |
| 2007 | 14 | #8,516 |
| 2006 | 15 | #7,865 |
| 2005 | 7 | #13,003 |
| 2004 | 7 | #12,754 |
| 2003 | 9 | #10,420 |
| 2002 | 7 | #12,181 |
| 2001 | 10 | #9,344 |
| 2000 | 6 | #13,147 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 6 | #12,420 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 5 | #13,511 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 5 | #13,423 |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 5 | #10,208 |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 5 | #9,650 |
Nicknames for Nelli
- Nell 114 girls in the UK in 2025
Names like Nelli
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Harper Willow Ivy Nova Isla Riley Lily Lyra Poppy Scarlett Orla Freya
Other spellings of Nelli
Names related to Nelli
More English names
Evelyn Hudson Grace Violet Daisy Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie Hazel Carter Harrison River Ellie Frankie
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, “Nelli: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nelli, updated 20 October 2026.