NameTides

Nell

Nell was the #1,622 girls' name in the US in 2025 (128 babies), and #408 in England & Wales and #2,131 in Canada.

Nell as a girl’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Nell as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020IrelandNorthern IrelandScotlandEngland & WalesUSCanada
Nell as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.631.251.882.51880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandNorthern IrelandIrelandCanada
2025#1,622 (128)#408 (100)#359 (9)#290 (5)#115 (40)#2,131 (10)
2024#1,457 (150)#400 (108)#230 (16)#253 (6)#114 (42)#2,685 (7)
2023#1,669 (124)#294 (149)#281 (13)#264 (6)#130 (36)#1,582 (14)
2022#1,742 (119)#263 (173)#418 (7)#305 (5)#128 (41)#2,315 (8)
2021#2,007 (96)#296 (160)#286 (13)#446 (3)#130 (40)#2,021 (10)
2020#2,257 (79)#347 (129)#370 (9)—#178 (26)#2,343 (8)
2019#1,773 (115)#305 (156)#447 (7)#424 (3)#232 (21)#1,683 (13)
2018#2,457 (72)#340 (141)#502 (6)#361 (4)#218 (22)#1,741 (12)
2017#2,184 (87)#306 (159)#446 (7)—#189 (27)#3,307 (5)
2016#2,539 (70)#345 (139)#798 (3)—#247 (19)#2,892 (6)
2015#2,846 (61)#334 (140)#653 (4)—#378 (12)#2,891 (6)
2014#3,652 (42)#353 (131)#365 (10)—#494 (8)—
2013#3,513 (44)#345 (131)#564 (5)#370 (4)#254 (20)—
2012#4,486 (32)#410 (113)#665 (4)—#474 (9)#2,921 (6)
2011#4,466 (32)#395 (117)#579 (5)—#393 (12)#2,156 (9)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 1886 at #144.
  • Rising over the last five years.
  • In the US records since the data begins in 1880.
  • A comeback: it faded for decades and is rising again.
  • In 1977, 81% of US babies named Nell were girls.

How common is it?

about 1 in 13,000 baby girls in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USGirls2025about 1 in 13,000rare
England & WalesGirls2025about 1 in 2,500uncommon
ScotlandGirls2025about 1 in 2,000uncommon
Northern IrelandGirls2025about 1 in 1,500uncommon
IrelandGirls2025about 1 in 530common
CanadaGirls2025about 1 in 15,000rare

Next year

On its recent trend, Nell is likely to keep rising in the US in 2026: about 1 in 10,000 baby girls. Likely range 1 in 8,300 to 1 in 13,000.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Nell by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: fewer than 5 babiesWIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: #915WAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 babiesMNIllinois: #797ILMichigan: fewer than 5 babiesMINew York: #1,235NYMassachusetts: #682MAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: fewer than 5 babiesIAIndiana: fewer than 5 babiesINOhio: fewer than 5 babiesOHPennsylvania: #1,231PANew Jersey: #846NJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #2,276CAUtah: fewer than 5 babiesUTColorado: #703CONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: fewer than 5 babiesMOKentucky: fewer than 5 babiesKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: fewer than 5 babiesVAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: fewer than 5 babiesAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: #983TNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 babiesOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 babiesLAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: fewer than 5 babiesALGeorgia: fewer than 5 babiesGAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #2,386TXFlorida: #1,887FL
Nell (girls) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
NellCanadaGirls#2,13110
NellEngland & WalesGirls#408100
NellIrelandGirls#11540
NellNorthern IrelandGirls#2905
NellScotlandGirls#3599
NellUSGirls#1,622128
NellUSBoys—too few