namelingSwipe names

Nelly

Gender
Girl
Say it
NEL-ee
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#378 for girls
US rank, 2025
#1,291 for girls

Nelly is a girls' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 378th for girls in the UK (125 babies) and 1,291st for girls in the US (173 babies).

What does Nelly mean?

English: English pet form of Eleanor, Ellen and Helen

Nelly Dean, the housekeeper who narrates much of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, is a well-known literary bearer.

Is Nelly a girl's or a boy's name?

Nelly is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 125 girls and 3 boys in the UK and 173 girls and 9 boys in the US.

How popular is Nelly in the UK?

Rank in 2025
378th among girls
Babies in 2025
125 about 1 in 2,200 girls
Five-year trend
Falling down 34% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 125 girls in the UK were named Nelly, making it the 378th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 248th. Its busiest year was 2019, with 217 girls. 3 boys were also named Nelly in 2025 (5,065th for boys).

Half of all the girls named Nelly in the UK since 1996 were born between 2015 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 613 girls in the UK were given Nelly or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #95, up from #378 for this spelling alone.

In 2025, 98% of the babies named Nelly in the UK were girls.

Among girls in 2025, it was 353rd in England and Wales and 632nd in Scotland.

1997Busiest: 217 in 20192025
Nelly in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025125#378
2024105#449
2023147#330
2022176#289
2021197#265
2020207#248
2019217#247
2018145#356
201790#523
201674#619
201597#491
201456#754
201349#829
201255#779
201143#903
201050#789
200936#976
200830#1,090
200748#754
200611#2,119
200514#1,692
200410#2,064
200312#1,730
200213#1,553
20019#1,974
20000–
19990–
19980–
19971#5,110

How popular is Nelly in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,291st among girls
Babies in 2025
173 about 1 in 9,300 girls
Five-year trend
Rising up 43% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 173 girls in the US were named Nelly, making it the 1,291st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,023rd. Its busiest year was 2007, with 208 girls. It first appears in the records in 1882. 9 boys were also named Nelly in 2025 (8,239th for boys).

2025 had more girls named Nelly than any year since 2009.

Half of all the girls named Nelly in the US since 1880 were born between 1975 and 2011, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 783 girls in the US were given Nelly or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #422, up from #1,291 for this spelling alone.

1882Busiest: 208 in 20072025
Nelly in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025173#1,291
2024168#1,358
2023142#1,514
2022158#1,422
2021135#1,554
202092#2,023
2019146#1,495
201899#1,978
2017128#1,677
2016104#1,929
2015122#1,719
2014139#1,562
2013130#1,642
2012159#1,432
2011147#1,509
2010161#1,420
2009194#1,258
2008195#1,274
2007208#1,205
2006158#1,428
2005150#1,425
2004156#1,352
2003159#1,304
2002144#1,344
2001119#1,559
2000113#1,569
199985#1,854
199879#1,918
199784#1,782
1996104#1,530
199597#1,558
1994107#1,473
199397#1,575
1992126#1,326
199191#1,636
1990103#1,499
198973#1,814
198892#1,476
198779#1,580
198669#1,690
198583#1,482
198469#1,604
198369#1,608
198285#1,429
198181#1,490
198070#1,644
197962#1,753
197885#1,374
197773#1,498
197678#1,373
197562#1,586
197477#1,351
197354#1,666
197247#1,804
197148#1,828
197048#1,828
196937#2,058
196844#1,776
196742#1,783
196638#1,859
196535#1,950
196444#1,747
196342#1,786
196245#1,689
196139#1,837
196062#1,392
195956#1,434
195846#1,577
195737#1,783
195655#1,412
195557#1,333
195435#1,738
195330#1,833
195228#1,891
195119#2,313
195021#2,120
194921#2,133
194817#2,415
194728#1,821
19467#3,993
194515#2,236
19449#3,138
194312#2,694
194220#1,916
19419#3,028
194022#1,682
193921#1,684
19389#2,938
193719#1,784
19369#2,855
193514#2,205
193417#1,913
193314#2,160
193213#2,363
193120#1,749
193026#1,534
192915#2,190
192824#1,679
192717#2,168
192628#1,540
192526#1,646
192419#2,061
192322#1,840
192218#2,109
192120#1,988
192021#1,889
191917#2,063
191820#1,887
191724#1,552
191610#2,832
191518#1,799
191413#1,896
191314#1,601
19127#2,359
19110–
19107#1,935
19097#1,763
19085#2,101
19077#1,638
19067#1,553
19055#1,930
19046#1,658
19038#1,318
19028#1,320
19019#1,136
19000–
18990–
18980–
18976#1,384
18960–
18956#1,426
18940–
18935#1,437
18925#1,450
18910–
18908#1,006
18890–
18889#894
18879#788
18865#1,108
18859#745
18840–
18838#692
188210#596

Nicknames for Nelly

Names like Nelly

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Ivy, Lily, Riley, Daisy, Autumn, Willow, Felicity, Honey, Hallie, Scarlett, Melody, Eden

Other spellings of Nelly

Nellie, Neli, Nelli, Nely

Names related to Nelly

Nell, Nella, Nel, Nelle, Nelya, Neely, Nelliel, Noely

More English names

Evelyn, Hudson, Harper, Grace, Violet, Poppy, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hazel, Carter, Harrison, River, Ellie, Frankie

Every English name

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, “Nelly: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nelly, updated 20 October 2026.