Nell vs Nelly

Side-by-side comparison of Nell and Nelly - popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Nell

Girl name · Rank #1457

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Name B

Nelly

Girl name · Rank #1360

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Nell Nelly
Current Rank #1457 #1360
Total Births (all years) 27,612 7,792
Peak Year 1917 2007
Peak Year Births 766 208
Peak Decade 1920s 2000s
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1882

Births by Decade

Decade Nell Nelly
1880s 1,345 50
1890s 2,138 30
1900s 2,436 62
1910s 5,613 130
1920s 6,034 210
1930s 3,984 162
1940s 2,074 160
1950s 1,122 384
1960s 462 428
1970s 340 634
1980s 271 770
1990s 259 973
2000s 259 1,596
2010s 579 1,335
2020s 696 868

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Nell Nelly
2014 42 139
2015 61 122
2016 70 104
2017 87 128
2018 72 99
2019 115 146
2020 79 92
2021 96 135
2022 119 158
2023 124 142
2024 150 168
2025 128 173

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2025.

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