Nelline
A feminine French name meaning "little brightness" or "little light".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Nelline. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nelline today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nelline births was 1923 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nelline. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Nelline is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Nellines were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nelline. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1923
8 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1944 SSA rank
#3,598
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Nelline: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nelline from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 32 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Nelline remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nelline 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 Nelline during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nelline
The name Nelline is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the Old English word "nell" or "nellu," meaning "brave" or "courageous." It is believed to have emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD.
Nelline was a relatively uncommon name during the Middle Ages, but it gained some popularity in the later medieval period. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Domesday Book," a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this document, a woman named Nelline is mentioned as a landowner in the county of Norfolk.
Throughout the centuries, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Nelline. One such person was Nelline de Longueval (1301-1368), a French noblewoman and the first wife of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. Nelline played a significant role in the political and cultural life of 14th-century England.
Another historical figure with the name Nelline was Nelline de Mauny (1370-1440), a French noblewoman and the wife of Sir Walter Hungerford, an English knight and landowner. Nelline was known for her involvement in the construction of several churches and her philanthropic efforts in the region of Wiltshire, England.
In the 16th century, Nelline Walsingham (1512-1580) was a prominent English courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I. She was renowned for her intelligence and diplomatic skills and played a crucial role in the Elizabethan court.
One of the more recent historical figures with the name Nelline was Nelline Nourse (1875-1962), an American educator and suffragist. She was actively involved in the women's suffrage movement and served as the president of the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls.
While not as widely used as some other English names, Nelline has maintained a presence throughout history, carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, courtiers, and advocates for social change. Its roots in the Old English language and association with bravery and courage have contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name.
People
Nelline + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nelline 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
Nelline: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nelline?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nelline 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Nelline a common name?
We classify Nelline as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 75 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nelline most popular?
The single biggest year for Nelline was 1923, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nelline is about 85 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Nelline in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nelline a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nelline 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 Nelline still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nelline 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 Nelline 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Nelline?
Find out how many Americans are named Nelline on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.