Nelle
Girl name · #4267 in 2025 · Uniqueness 80/100
Nelle is currently the #4267 girl name in the United States — 33 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #6721, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 54,545 girls born in 2025 was named Nelle.
The 145-year story
Nelle first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 65 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1917, when 169 girls were named Nelle — good for #510 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Nelle per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Nelle against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Nelle in class?
Nelle scores 80 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Nelle will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Nelle is most common
State-level data for Nelle is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Nelle
Statistically, parents drawn to Nelle tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Maybelle, Clarabelle, Louie, Fae, and Elvie.
MaybelleClarabelleLouieFaeElvieLucileArlieVella
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Nelle | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #4265 |
| 2024 | 26 | #5021 |
| 2023 | 34 | #4191 |
| 2022 | 26 | #5028 |
| 2021 | 29 | #4607 |
| 2020 | 37 | #3841 |
| 2019 | 32 | #4343 |
| 2018 | 28 | #4768 |
| 2017 | 15 | #7442 |
| 2016 | 17 | #6901 |
| 2015 | 18 | #6721 |
| 2014 | 10 | #10129 |
| 2013 | 7 | #13150 |
| 2012 | 12 | #9109 |
| 2011 | 5 | #16764 |
| 2010 | 7 | #13448 |
| 2009 | 7 | #13704 |
| 2008 | 7 | #13832 |
| 2006 | 8 | #12420 |
| 2005 | 6 | #14502 |
| 2001 | 7 | #12056 |
| 1986 | 7 | #8523 |
| 1985 | 5 | #10677 |
| 1982 | 5 | #10517 |
| 1980 | 5 | #10392 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Nelle a popular girl name?
Nelle ranked #4267 among girls in 2025 with 33 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #6721.
When was the name Nelle most popular?
Nelle peaked in 1917, when 169 American girls received the name (ranked #510 that year). Since 1917 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Nelle?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 54,545 newborn American girls was named Nelle. It scores 80/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.