Nellis
A feminine given name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Nellis. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Nellis today is around 112 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nellis births was 1919 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nellis. 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 Nellis is about 112 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Nellis' were born before 1924.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nellis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1919
8 babies that year
Average age
112
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,158
Tracked since 1918
Census
Nellis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 122 people with the first name Nellis, which placed it at #49,985 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
#49,985
National first-name rank
People counted
122
122 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
43.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nellis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nellis is White at 43.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.5%) and Black (22.1%). 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 Nellis 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 Nellis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.4% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino29.5% · 36
- Black or African American22.1% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Nellis
Nellis is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 36 total registrations, 18 (50.0%) were male and 18 (50.0%) were female.
Nellis as a male name
- Ranked #4,158 in 1931
- 5 male births in 1931
- Peak: 1919 (8 births)
Nellis as a female name
- Ranked #4,204 in 1938
- 6 female births in 1938
- Peak: 1918 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nellis on both sides of the split. Of the 129 people counted with this name, 54 were male (41.9%) and 75 were female (58.1%).
Popularity
Nellis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nellis from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Nellis remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nellis 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 Nellis 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 Nellis
The given name Nellis is a rare and fascinating one, with origins that can be traced back to ancient times. Its roots are believed to lie in the Celtic languages, particularly those spoken in the British Isles during the medieval period.
One possible derivation of Nellis is from the Welsh word "nell," which means "bright" or "shining." This could suggest that the name was originally bestowed upon individuals with a radiant or luminous presence. Another plausible origin is the Old English word "nelle," meaning "brave" or "courageous," hinting at a connection to warriors or those with a valiant spirit.
Delving into historical records, the earliest documented instance of the name Nellis can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Here, the name appears as "Nellis de Ayncurt," referring to a landowner in the county of Shropshire.
Throughout the centuries, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Nellis. One such figure is Nellis de Audeley (c. 1230-1299), a English knight and landowner who fought in the Welsh Wars under King Edward I. Another prominent bearer of the name was Nellis de Vere (1350-1408), a member of the powerful de Vere family and a trusted advisor to King Richard II.
In the realm of literature, the name Nellis is immortalized in the works of the renowned English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. In his iconic Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century, one of the pilgrims is referred to as "Nellis the Miller," a character known for his mischievous and humorous tales.
Moving forward in time, the name Nellis gained further recognition with the birth of Nellis du Bois (1592-1676), a Dutch artist and engraver who was celebrated for his intricate etchings and portraits of prominent figures in the Dutch Golden Age.
Another notable bearer of the name was Nellis von Liliencron (1781-1859), a German poet and playwright who was a prominent figure in the Romantic movement. His works, which often explored themes of nature and the human experience, continue to be studied and appreciated by literary scholars today.
While the name Nellis may be relatively uncommon in modern times, its rich history and fascinating origins serve as a testament to the enduring legacy of names passed down through generations. From its Celtic roots to its appearances in historical texts and artistic works, the name Nellis has left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human culture.
People
Nellis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nellis 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
Nellis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nellis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nellis 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Nellis a common name?
We classify Nellis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 36 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nellis most popular?
The single biggest year for Nellis was 1919, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nellis is about 112 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nellis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 122 people with the name Nellis, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,985 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 Nellis 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 Nellis?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nellis on both sides of the split. Of the 129 people counted with this name, 54 were male (41.9%) and 75 were female (58.1%). 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 Nellis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nellis is White at 43.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.5%) and Black (22.1%). 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 Nellis most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nellis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.4% (53 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 Nellis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nellis a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Nellis 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 Nellis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nellis 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 Nellis 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 many people are named Nellis?
Want to know how many people share the name Nellis? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.