Nell
A medieval English pet form of Eleanor, Ellen, and Helen, arising from the old habit of saying mine El, which was reanalyzed as my Nell.
Nell in 2025
Nell was given to 128 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,996th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 25,901 babies born.
The history of Nell
Nell reached its highest point in 1917, when 766 babies were given the name, ranking 393rd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 234th, in 1886.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 27,710 babies have been named Nell. Half of them were born before 1923, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Nell by decade
| Decade | Babies named Nell | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,345 | 234 |
| 1890s | 2,138 | 239 |
| 1900s | 2,441 | 272 |
| 1910s | 5,651 | 304 |
| 1920s | 6,063 | 421 |
| 1930s | 4,004 | 525 |
| 1940s | 2,074 | 715 |
| 1950s | 1,122 | 1,204 |
| 1960s | 462 | 1,947 |
| 1970s | 346 | 3,113 |
| 1980s | 271 | 3,808 |
| 1990s | 259 | 5,389 |
| 2000s | 259 | 6,296 |
| 2010s | 579 | 3,235 |
| 2020s | 696 | 2,735 |
Where Nell is heading
Nell has risen 110% over the past decade, from 61 babies in 2015 to 128 in 2025.
Names like Nell
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Nell.