Girls' name · since 1908
Nel
133 babies named Nel in U.S. Social Security records since 1908, with the highest year being 2013. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #24,052 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #13,280 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 133
- born since 1908
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nel currently ranks #13280 among girls' names in America, with 133 babies recorded since 1908.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nel has been recorded 133 times among girls since 1908, currently ranked #13280 nationally and more common than 23% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1908 to 2025.
- #24,052 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #13,280 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 133 born since 1908
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nel ranks #24,052 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #13,280 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 133 born since 1908, peaking in the 2010s.
- #24,052 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #13,280 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 133
- born since 1908
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nel's 133 recorded births place it above 66.72% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Nel compares
133 30th percentile among 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Nel's all-time total is 65% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nel | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 133 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nel's full recorded timeline at 2015, 56% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 44% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1908, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2013 peak of 11 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1908–2025
- Peak year (2013)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 118 years of records
Nel by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (50 births, 38% of the file).
2010s was Nel's strongest decade.
50 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Nel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s
1910s
20 births
- 1950s 5
1950s
5 births
- 2000s 12
2000s
12 births
- 2010s
2010s
50 births
- 2020s
2020s
41 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 50 births (38% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Nel's data
- Nel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (50 total births) through the 2020s (41) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nel
Nearby Names Like Nel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nel
Compare Nel side by side: Nel vs Nellie Nel vs Nell Nel vs Nelda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2013)
Similar record span (~117 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1908–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.