Nellie
Girl name · #533 in 2025 · Uniqueness 33/100
Nellie is currently the #533 girl name in the United States — 567 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1239, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 3,175 girls born in 2025 was named Nellie.
Babies named Nellie per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Nellie first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 995 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1918, when 4,048 girls were named Nellie — good for #65 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.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Nellie against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Nellie in class?
Nellie scores 33 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "popular" band. A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Nellie is most common
Geography matters for names, and Nellie is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Nellies were PA (32), CA (31), OH (31), NC (30), IN (25). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Nellie
Statistically, parents drawn to Nellie tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Tillie, Lottie, Goldie, Lillie, and Ruthie.
TillieLottieGoldieLillieRuthieHattieMaxineRosie
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Nellie | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 567 | #533 |
| 2024 | 592 | #521 |
| 2023 | 486 | #615 |
| 2022 | 446 | #663 |
| 2021 | 384 | #743 |
| 2020 | 325 | #840 |
| 2019 | 311 | #861 |
| 2018 | 239 | #1065 |
| 2017 | 196 | #1224 |
| 2016 | 202 | #1217 |
| 2015 | 197 | #1239 |
| 2014 | 183 | #1301 |
| 2013 | 158 | #1432 |
| 2012 | 139 | #1566 |
| 2011 | 116 | #1758 |
| 2010 | 118 | #1751 |
| 2009 | 125 | #1742 |
| 2008 | 113 | #1880 |
| 2007 | 119 | #1792 |
| 2006 | 99 | #2003 |
| 2005 | 84 | #2180 |
| 2004 | 97 | #1925 |
| 2003 | 88 | #2033 |
| 2002 | 93 | #1897 |
| 2001 | 85 | #1995 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Nellie a popular girl name?
Nellie ranked #533 among girls in 2025 with 567 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1239.
When was the name Nellie most popular?
Nellie peaked in 1918, when 4,048 American girls received the name (ranked #65 that year). Since 1918 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Nellie?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 3,175 newborn American girls was named Nellie. It scores 33/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "popular".
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.