Girls' name · since 1882
Nelly
Nelly has 7,792 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2007 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,937 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,292 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,792
- born since 1882
- 2000s
- peak decade
7,792 babies have been named Nelly since 1882, making it today's #1292 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Nelly recorded 7,792 times among girls since 1882, holding rank #1292 nationally today, ahead of 93% of girls, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1,937 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,292 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 7,792 born since 1882
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nelly ranks #1,937 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,292 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 7,792 born since 1882, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,937 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,292 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,792
- born since 1882
- 2000s
- peak decade
Nelly's 7,792 recorded births place it above 97.32% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
22 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nelly compares
7,792 Top 11% higher than 89% 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
Nelly's all-time total is 21x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nelly | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,792 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 208 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nelly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Nelly's SSA record in two at 1958 and the more recent half accounts for 86% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 14%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1886, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2007 peak of 208, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Nelly popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (2007)
- 208
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Nelly popularity over time - boys
79 total births recorded since 2002 (Nelly as boys' name)
Nelly by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (1,596 births, 20% of the file).
2000s was Nelly's strongest decade.
1,596 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Nelly births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 50
1880s
50 births
- 1890s 30
1890s
30 births
- 1900s 62
1900s
62 births
- 1910s 130
1910s
130 births
- 1920s 210
1920s
210 births
- 1930s 162
1930s
162 births
- 1940s 160
1940s
160 births
- 1950s 384
1950s
384 births
- 1960s 428
1960s
428 births
- 1970s 634
1970s
634 births
- 1980s
1980s
770 births
- 1990s
1990s
973 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,596 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,335 births
- 2020s
2020s
868 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,596 births (20% of all-time use).
How Nelly 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 Nelly's total volume
Nelly by state
Where Nelly concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,821 | 23.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,135 | 14.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 934 | 12.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 377 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Florida | | 206 | 2.6% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 86 | 1.1% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 86 | 1.1% |
| #8 | Washington | | 77 | 1.0% |
1,821 of 7,792 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 22 reporting states.
Nelly appears in 22 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Nelly's data
- Nelly's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (1,596 total births) through the 2020s (868) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Nellys (1,821 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 Nelly
Nearby Names Like Nelly
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nelly
Compare Nelly side by side: Nelly vs Nellie Nelly vs Nell Nelly vs Nelda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nelly
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nelly: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2007)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1882–2025 (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 Nelly 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.