Nell
A diminutive form of feminine names like Helen, Ellen, or Eleanor.
Name Census estimates that about 5,078 living Americans carry the first name Nell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nell today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nell births was 1917 (766 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Nell with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Nell is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 98 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
5.1K
~ 1 in 67,498 Americans
Peak year
1917
766 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1977 SSA rank
#1,460
Tracked since 1880
Census
Nell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,219 people with the first name Nell, which placed it at #3,064 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,064
National first-name rank
People counted
7.2K
7,219 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
84.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nell is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 6,115
- Black or African American9.4% · 677
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 147
- Two or more races2.0% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Gender
Gender distribution for Nell
Out of the 27,581 babies given the name Nell since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Nell as a male name
- Ranked #5,635 in 1977
- 6 male births in 1977
- Peak: 1918 (9 births)
Nell as a female name
- Ranked #1,460 in 2024
- 150 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1917 (766 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nell leans strongly female. 7,067 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 155 male bearers (2.1%).
Popularity
Nell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nell from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6,063 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 36 states and territories. Texas, Alabama, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Nell, while Utah, New Mexico, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 495 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nell
The name Nell originated as a diminutive form of the female name Eleanor, which is derived from the Old French phrase "Alia Ænor", meaning "Other Aenor". The name Eleanor was introduced to England by the Norman conquerors and became popular after Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Nell first appeared in the Middle Ages as a nickname for Eleanor. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nell was in the 14th century English poem "Piers Plowman" by William Langland, where a character named Nell is mentioned.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Nell gained popularity as a standalone name in England. It was particularly fashionable among the lower classes and was often associated with milkmaids or servants. The famous English diarist Samuel Pepys frequently referred to his wife Elizabeth as "Nell" in his diary.
One of the most renowned figures in history with the name Nell was Nell Gwyn (1650-1687), a famous English actress and mistress of King Charles II. She was known for her wit, charm, and beauty, and her influence on the king was significant.
Another notable Nell was Nell Gwynne (1659-1687), an English actress and comedian who performed in various plays during the Restoration period. She was renowned for her comedic talents and was a contemporary of Nell Gwyn.
Nell Nicholson (1863-1945) was an American author and social reformer who wrote several books on women's issues and advocated for women's rights and suffrage.
Nell Carter (1948-2003) was an American singer and actress best known for her role as Nell Harper on the TV sitcom "Gimme a Break!". She won two Emmy Awards for her performance and was praised for her comedic timing and powerful singing voice.
Nell Shipman (1892-1970) was a pioneering Canadian actress, writer, and producer who was one of the first women to produce and star in her own films during the silent era of Hollywood.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nell
People
Nell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,078 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 67,498 US residents.
Is Nell a common name?
We classify Nell as "Rare". It ranks above 96.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27,581 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nell most popular?
The single biggest year for Nell was 1917, when 766 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nell is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,219 people with the name Nell, or 2.39 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,064 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nell leans strongly female. 7,067 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 155 male bearers (2.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nell is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nell most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (6,115 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nell a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Nell in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Nell?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Nell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.