Girls' name · since 1880
Nelia
Nelia has 1,580 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2015 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5,512 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,494 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,580
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
1,580 babies have been named Nelia since 1880, making it today's #7494 girls' name.
Nelia has 1,580 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7494 as of the latest data, more common than 57% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #5,512 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #7,494 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,580 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nelia ranks #5,512 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,494 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,580 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #5,512 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,494 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,580
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nelia's 1,580 recorded births place it above 92.38% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
6 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nelia compares
1,580 Top 26% higher than 74% 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
Nelia's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nelia | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,580 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 24 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nelia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nelia splits its recorded history at 1951: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2015 peak of 24 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nelia popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2015)
- 24
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Nelia by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (163 births, 10% of the file).
2010s was Nelia's strongest decade.
163 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 10% of all-time use.
Nelia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
82 births
- 1890s
1890s
80 births
- 1900s
1900s
93 births
- 1910s
1910s
119 births
- 1920s
1920s
133 births
- 1930s
1930s
122 births
- 1940s
1940s
112 births
- 1950s
1950s
113 births
- 1960s
1960s
87 births
- 1970s
1970s
138 births
- 1980s
1980s
72 births
- 1990s
1990s
67 births
- 2000s
2000s
108 births
- 2010s
2010s
163 births
- 2020s
2020s
91 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 163 births (10% of all-time use).
How Nelia 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 Nelia's total volume
Nelia by state
Where Nelia concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 23 | 1.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 13 | 0.8% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 11 | 0.7% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 7 | 0.4% |
| #5 | Louisiana | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 5 | 0.3% |
23 of 1,580 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 6 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Nelia's data
- Nelia's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (163 total births) through the 2020s (91) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Nelias (23 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nelia
Nearby Names Like Nelia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nelia
Compare Nelia side by side: Nelia vs Nellie Nelia vs Nell Nelia vs Nelda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nelia
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nelia: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2015)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Nelia 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.