Total births
42
Girls' name · since 2003
Nigella
42 babies named Nigella in U.S. Social Security records since 2003, with the highest year being 2007. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 42
- total births
- 2003–2015
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 71%
- born in that decade
Nigella is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 42 have been recorded since 2003.
Social Security Administration records show Nigella recorded 42 times among girls since 2003, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, 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 2003 to 2015.
- 42 total births
- 2003–2015 years on record
- 2000s peak decade
- 71% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
42 girls have been named Nigella since 2003, peaking in the 2000s, last recorded in 2015.
- 42
- total births
- 2003–2015
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 71%
- born in that decade
2000s
Peak decade
71% of everyone ever named Nigella was born in this single decade.
2007
Single peak year
9 babies were named Nigella in 2007 - its busiest year on record.
Nigella's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nigella's full recorded timeline at 2008, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2006, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2007 peak of 9 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nigella at a glance
Last recorded 2015Peak year
2007
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
2003
Nigella popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2003–2015
- Peak year (2007)
- 9
- Annual births at peak, across 13 years of records
Nigella by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Nigella's strongest decade.
30 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 71% of all-time use.
Nigella births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s
2000s
30 births
- 2010s
2010s
12 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 30 births (71% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nigella? ▼
Nigella has been given to 42 babies in the U.S. since 2003, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2015. 9 babies were born in 2007, its single highest year.
When was Nigella most popular? ▼
Nigella was most popular in the 2000s decade with 30 total births. The single peak year was 2007.
How long has the name Nigella been used? ▼
Nigella has been recorded in Social Security data since 2003, spanning 13 years of data through 2015.
What names are similar to Nigella? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nigeria, Nigel, Niger. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nigella's data
- Nigella's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (30 total births) through the 2010s (12) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- 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 Nigella
Nearby Names Like Nigella
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nigella
Compare Nigella side by side: Nigella vs Nigeria Nigella vs Nigel Nigella vs Niger
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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, 2003–2015 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nigella: Baby Name Since 2003 - 42 Births, Peak 2007." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nigella. 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 Nigella 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.