Total births
152,691
Girls' name · since 1880
Nellie
Nellie has 152,691 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #521
- among girls today
- 152,691
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Nellie is the #521 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 152,691 recorded since 1880.
Nellie has 152,691 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #521 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 1910s -- 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.
- #521 among girls today
- 152,691 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Nellie is currently the #521 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 152,691 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #521
- among girls today
- 152,691
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Nellie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#521
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Nellie was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
4,048 babies were named Nellie in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Nellie compares
152,691 Top 1% higher than 99% of 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
Nellie's all-time total is 400x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nellie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 152,691 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,048 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nellie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nellie splits its recorded history at 1953: 10% of all births land in the more recent half, 90% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2000 (68 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 4,048 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nellie at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#521
Active since
1880
Nellie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 4,048
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Nellie popularity over time - boys
593 total births recorded since 1880 (Nellie as boys' name)
Nellie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Nellie's strongest decade.
30,879 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Nellie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
13,761 births
- 1890s
1890s
17,285 births
- 1900s
1900s
16,339 births
- 1910s
1910s
30,879 births
- 1920s
1920s
29,689 births
- 1930s
1930s
17,703 births
- 1940s 10,207
1940s
10,207 births
- 1950s 5,360
1950s
5,360 births
- 1960s 2,409
1960s
2,409 births
- 1970s 1,479
1970s
1,479 births
- 1980s 1,112
1980s
1,112 births
- 1990s 838
1990s
838 births
- 2000s 971
2000s
971 births
- 2010s 1,859
2010s
1,859 births
- 2020s 2,800
2020s
2,800 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 30,879 births (20% of all-time use).
How Nellie 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 Nellie's total volume
Nellie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Nellie by state
Where Nellie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 7,122 | 4.7% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 6,032 | 4.0% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 5,913 | 3.9% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 5,547 | 3.6% |
| #5 | Texas | | 5,172 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 4,696 | 3.1% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 4,629 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Kentucky | | 4,542 | 3.0% |
North Carolina share of Nellie's total US births 4.7%
Even split
7,122 of 152,691 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Nellie appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nellie? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 152,691 babies named Nellie. Today it holds rank #521 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 4,048 births.
When was Nellie most popular? ▼
Nellie was most popular in the 1910s decade with 30,879 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Nellie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nellie are North Carolina (7,122 births), Georgia (6,032 births), Alabama (5,913 births).
How long has the name Nellie been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Nellie since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Nellie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nell, Nelda, Nelly, Nelle, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nellie's data
- Nellie's decade-level peak was the 1910s (30,879 total births); usage has since declined to 2,800 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Nellies (7,122 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nellie
Nearby Names Like Nellie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nellie
Nell Girl
#1457 27,612 births
Nelda Girl
#8966 20,139 births
Nelly Girl
#1360 7,792 births
Nelle Girl
#5022 5,794 births
Nella Girl
#2779 4,374 births
Compare Nellie side by side: Nellie vs Nell Nellie vs Nelda Nellie vs Nelly
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nellie
Renata #520
14,610 births · Peak 1980
Briar #522
7,002 births · Peak 2025
Madelynn #519
18,937 births · Peak 2009
Makenna #523
33,741 births · Peak 2005
Maxine #518
115,612 births · Peak 1924
Danielle #524
371,803 births · Peak 1987
Emerie #517
6,883 births · Peak 2024
Charli #525
11,692 births · Peak 2021
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nellie: #521 Girls' Name - 152,691 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nellie. 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 Nellie 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 June 2026.