NameTides

Nelly

Nelly was the #1,291 girls' name in the US in 2025 (173 babies), and #353 in England & Wales and #767 in Canada.

Nelly as a girl’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Nelly 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.00.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020England & WalesCanadaIrelandScotlandUS
Nelly 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.00.250.50.7511880192019602000
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#1,291 (173)#353 (121)#632 (4)—#608 (5)#767 (38)
2024#1,358 (168)#432 (99)#476 (6)—#898 (3)#661 (44)
2023#1,514 (142)#311 (140)#439 (7)—#495 (7)#622 (46)
2022#1,422 (158)#266 (172)—#418 (3)#747 (4)#499 (58)
2021#1,554 (135)#256 (186)#396 (8)#446 (3)#661 (5)#690 (42)
2020#2,023 (92)#232 (201)#765 (3)#397 (3)#544 (6)#596 (48)
2019#1,495 (146)#234 (211)#493 (6)—#551 (6)#676 (44)
2018#1,978 (99)#340 (141)#680 (4)—#474 (8)#655 (45)
2017#1,677 (128)#493 (88)——#734 (4)#501 (64)
2016#1,929 (104)#585 (72)——#476 (8)#666 (45)
2015#1,719 (122)#449 (96)——#660 (5)#640 (46)
2014#1,562 (139)#715 (55)——#536 (7)#471 (70)
2013#1,642 (130)#784 (49)——#894 (3)#447 (72)
2012#1,432 (159)#749 (53)——#560 (7)#441 (72)
2011#1,509 (147)#877 (41)——#612 (6)#373 (87)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 2007 at #1,205.
  • Rising over the last five years.
  • First recorded in the US in 1882.

How common is it?

about 1 in 9,300 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 9,300uncommon
England & WalesGirls2025about 1 in 2,100uncommon
ScotlandGirls2025about 1 in 4,500uncommon
IrelandGirls2025about 1 in 4,200uncommon
CanadaGirls2025about 1 in 3,900uncommon

Next year

On its recent trend, Nelly is likely to keep rising in the US in 2026: about 1 in 8,700 baby girls. Likely range 1 in 7,700 to 1 in 9,900.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Nelly by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: #700WIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: fewer than 5 babiesWAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: #835MNIllinois: #1,240ILMichigan: fewer than 5 babiesMINew York: #1,235NYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 babiesMAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: fewer than 5 babiesIAIndiana: #1,032INOhio: #1,271OHPennsylvania: #1,392PANew Jersey: #1,168NJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #1,111CAUtah: fewer than 5 babiesUTColorado: fewer than 5 babiesCONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: fewer than 5 babiesMOKentucky: #744KYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: #1,180VAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: #909AZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: fewer than 5 babiesTNNorth Carolina: #973NCSouth 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: #1,460TXFlorida: #1,545FL
Nelly (girls) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Quebec2025#26621
Ontario2024#93212

Nelly (girls): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

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

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
NellyCanadaGirls#76738
NellyEngland & WalesGirls#353121
NellyEngland & WalesBoys#5,1373
NellyIrelandGirls#6085
NellyNorthern IrelandGirls—too few
NellyScotlandGirls#6324
NellyUSGirls#1,291173
NellyUSBoys#8,2439