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Girl's name · #533 in the US (2025) · Comeback
Nellie was #14 in 1881, slipped to #2300 by 2000, and has climbed back to #533 today. About 153,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.
Its relative popularity was strongest in the South in the 1940s and 1950s, and is strongest in the Midwest in 2020–2025.
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 40 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
See how Nellie ranks in other countries and regions.
#95 in Sweden (2025) · #101 in England & Wales (2025) · #223 in N. Ireland (2025) · #235 in Norway (2025) · #317 in Ireland (2025) · #349 in Scotland (2025) · #383 in New Zealand (2025) · #1,444 in Belgium (2025) · #1,696 in Switzerland (2025) · #1,714 in Austria (2025) · #457 in Canada (2024).
Among 265 notable people named Nellie:
No single standout — notable Nellies spread across many fields.
Together with its spelling variant Nelly (#1294), Nellie would rank around #423 with about 740 births last year — the newborns split about 77/23 between Nellie and Nelly.
Similar names: Nelly · Della · Nella · Lillie · Estella · Allie
Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.