Girls' name · since 1903
Nela
597 babies named Nela in U.S. Social Security records since 1903, with the highest year being 2019. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #10,598 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,390 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 597
- born since 1903
- 2010s
- peak decade
597 babies have been named Nela since 1903, making it today's #8390 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nela has been recorded 597 times among girls since 1903, currently ranked #8390 nationally and more common than 51% 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 1903 to 2025.
- #10,598 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #8,390 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 597 born since 1903
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nela ranks #10,598 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,390 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 597 born since 1903, peaking in the 2010s.
- #10,598 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,390 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 597
- born since 1903
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nela's 597 recorded births place it above 85.34% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by Illinois.
How Nela compares
597 Top 42% higher than 58% of 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
Nela's all-time total is 59% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nela | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 597 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 27 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nela's full recorded timeline at 1962, 67% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 33% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1903, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2019 peak of 27 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nela popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1903–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 27
- Annual births at peak, across 123 years of records
Nela by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (172 births, 29% of the file).
2010s was Nela's strongest decade.
172 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Nela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 16
1900s
16 births
- 1910s 49
1910s
49 births
- 1920s 59
1920s
59 births
- 1930s 19
1930s
19 births
- 1940s 27
1940s
27 births
- 1950s 26
1950s
26 births
- 1960s 12
1960s
12 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s
2000s
103 births
- 2010s
2010s
172 births
- 2020s
2020s
104 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 172 births (29% of all-time use).
How Nela compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Nela's total volume
Nela by state
Where Nela concentrates geographically, total births since 1903
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 10 | 1.7% |
| #2 | California | | 6 | 1.0% |
| #3 | Florida | | 5 | 0.8% |
| #4 | New Jersey | | 5 | 0.8% |
10 of 597 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nela? ▼
Where does Nela sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nela most popular? ▼
Where is Nela most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nela been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nela? ▼
What to do with Nela's data
- Nela's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (172 total births) through the 2020s (104) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Illinois records the most Nelas (10 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nela
Nearby Names Like Nela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nela
Compare Nela side by side: Nela vs Nellie Nela vs Nell Nela vs Nelda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nela
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2019)
Similar record span (~122 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, 1903–2025 (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 Nela 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.