Girls' name · since 1961
Nichelle
5,543 babies named Nichelle in U.S. Social Security records since 1961, with the highest year being 1968. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,404 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,114 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,543
- born since 1961
- 1980s
- peak decade
5,543 babies have been named Nichelle since 1961, making it today's #11114 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Nichelle recorded 5,543 times among girls since 1961, holding rank #11114 nationally today, ahead of 36% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1961 to 2025.
- #2,404 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #11,114 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 5,543 born since 1961
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nichelle ranks #2,404 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11,114 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 5,543 born since 1961, peaking in the 1980s.
- #2,404 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,114 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,543
- born since 1961
- 1980s
- peak decade
Nichelle's 5,543 recorded births place it above 96.67% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
35 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nichelle compares
5,543 Top 13% higher than 87% 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
Nichelle's all-time total is 15x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nichelle | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,543 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 395 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nichelle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nichelle splits its recorded history at 1993: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2023 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1968 peak of 395 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nichelle popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1961–2025
- Peak year (1968)
- 395
- Annual births at peak, across 65 years of records
Nichelle popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1989 (Nichelle as boys' name)
Nichelle by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (1,277 births, 23% of the file).
1980s was Nichelle's strongest decade.
1,277 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Nichelle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s
1960s
1,197 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,226 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,277 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,196 births
- 2000s 423
2000s
423 births
- 2010s 166
2010s
166 births
- 2020s 58
2020s
58 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 1,277 births (23% of all-time use).
How Nichelle 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 Nichelle's total volume
Nichelle by state
Where Nichelle concentrates geographically, total births since 1961
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 683 | 12.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 455 | 8.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 254 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 238 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 234 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 177 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 175 | 3.2% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 128 | 2.3% |
683 of 5,543 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Nichelle appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nichelle? ▼
Where does Nichelle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nichelle most popular? ▼
Where is Nichelle most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nichelle been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nichelle? ▼
What to do with Nichelle's data
- Nichelle's decade-level peak was the 1980s (1,277 total births); usage has since declined to 58 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nichelles (683 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 Nichelle
Nearby Names Like Nichelle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nichelle
Compare Nichelle side by side: Nichelle vs Nicole Nichelle vs Nichole Nichelle vs Nicolette
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nichelle
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nichelle: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1968)
Similar record span (~64 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, 1961–2025 (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 Nichelle 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.