Total births
209
Girls' name · since 2009
Nelani
209 babies named Nelani in U.S. Social Security records since 2009, with the highest year being 2020. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5414
- among girls today
- 209
- born since 2009
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 69%
- more common than other girls
Nelani currently ranks #5414 among girls' names in America, with 209 babies recorded since 2009.
Nelani has 209 recorded births among girls since 2009, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5414 as of the latest data, more common than 69% of girls, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2009 to 2025.
- #5414 among girls today
- 209 born since 2009
- 2020s peak decade
- 69% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Nelani is currently the #5414 girls' name in America, more common than 69% of girls - 209 born since 2009, peaking in the 2020s.
- #5414
- among girls today
- 209
- born since 2009
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 69%
- more common than other girls
Nelani vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5414
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 69% of names given to girls today.
2020s
Peak decade
57% of everyone ever named Nelani was born in this single decade.
2020
Single peak year
27 babies were named Nelani in 2020 - its busiest year on record.
How Nelani compares
209 38th percentile among 17,726 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
Nelani's all-time total is 45% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nelani | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 209 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 27 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nelani's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Nelani's SSA record in two at 2018 and the more recent half accounts for 72% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 28%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 2009, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2020 peak of 27, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Nelani at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2020
Current rank
#5,414
Active since
2009
Nelani popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2009–2025
- Peak year (2020)
- 27
- Annual births at peak, across 17 years of records
Nelani by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Nelani's strongest decade.
119 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 57% of all-time use.
Nelani births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2010s
2010s
85 births
- 2020s
2020s
119 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 119 births (57% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nelani? ▼
Since 2009, Social Security records show 209 babies named Nelani. Today it holds rank #5414 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2020, with 27 births.
When was Nelani most popular? ▼
Nelani was most popular in the 2020s decade with 119 total births. The single peak year was 2020.
How long has the name Nelani been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Nelani since 2009 -- 17 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Nelani? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nellie, Nell, Nelda, Nelly, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
Keep exploring Nelani
Nearby Names Like Nelani
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nelani
Nellie Girl
#521 152,691 births
Nell Girl
#1457 27,612 births
Nelda Girl
#8966 20,139 births
Nelly Girl
#1360 7,792 births
Nelle Girl
#5022 5,794 births
Compare Nelani side by side: Nelani vs Nellie Nelani vs Nell Nelani vs Nelda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nelani
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 2009–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nelani: #5414 Girls' Name - 209 Births, Peak 2020." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nelani. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Nelani 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 July 2026.