Nelly
How to say it: NEL-ee · /ˈnɛli/
Diminutive of Eleanor or Helen, meaning 'bright, shining one'; long used as an independent given name.
Nelly was the 428th most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 173 babies (Social Security Administration). The 2020s are its busiest decade so far, its births are up 2.3-fold in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #268 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among girls’ names, 2025 | #428 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 173 |
| Share of births | 1 in 4,480 |
| Peak decade | 2020s |
| Change over 10 years | ×2.3 |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #268 |
| In France, 2025 | #590 among girls’ names, 55 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Now enjoying its best decade yet, Nelly climbed to a high in the 2020s. At its peak currently, it is expected to keep rising.
What goes with it
Sweet and humming with soft sounds, Nelly feels gentle in two syllables. Milly and Edie would make good sisters.
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Nelly is about 1 in 187.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish.
In France: #590 for girls in 2025.
England and Wales: #354.
Famous people named Nelly
- Nelly Furtado (born 1978)Portuguese-Canadian singer and songwriter
- Nelly Sachs (1891–1970)Jewish German poet and playwright
- Nelly Ciobanu (born 1974)Moldovan singer
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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