Nellwyn
A feminine given name derived from Welsh elements meaning "cloudy meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Nellwyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nellwyn today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nellwyn births was 1937 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nellwyn. 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 Nellwyn is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Nellwyns were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nellwyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1937
5 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1951 SSA rank
#5,989
Tracked since 1937
Popularity
Nellwyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nellwyn from the 1930s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Nellwyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nellwyn 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 Nellwyn 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 Nellwyn
The name Nellwyn is a relatively modern feminine name of Welsh origin, derived from the combination of two older Welsh names – Nell and Gwyn. The first component, Nell, comes from the Welsh name Nelwyn, which is a pet form of the name Elin or Ellin, ultimately derived from the Greek name Helen, meaning "light" or "torch."
The second component, Gwyn, is a Welsh word meaning "fair" or "blessed." It was a common element in Welsh names, often used to describe someone with light hair or a fair complexion. The combination of Nell and Gwyn likely arose in the late 19th or early 20th century as a unique Welsh name, reflecting the cultural revival and interest in reviving traditional Welsh names during that period.
While the name Nellwyn does not appear to have any direct historical references or mentions in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its components, Nell and Gwyn, have a long history in Welsh culture and literature. The earliest recorded use of the name Nellwyn itself is difficult to pinpoint precisely, but it seems to have gained popularity in the early 20th century.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Nellwyn was Nellwyn Thomas (1904-1994), a Welsh actress and singer who appeared in several films and stage productions in the 1930s and 1940s. Another notable Nellwyn was Nellwyn Lamport (1905-1985), a British writer and journalist who published several novels and non-fiction works during her career.
In the realm of arts and culture, Nellwyn Browne-Davies (1920-2011) was a Welsh painter and educator, known for her landscapes and portraits of Welsh life. Nellwyn Humphreys (1921-2007) was a Welsh singer and harpist who helped preserve and promote traditional Welsh music throughout her career.
Nellwyn Wilkie (1928-2021) was a Canadian writer and journalist who wrote extensively about Canadian history and culture, particularly in her book "Echoes in the Wilderness." She was also active in promoting the preservation of historic sites and buildings in her home province of Ontario.
While not a common name, Nellwyn has maintained a presence in various parts of the English-speaking world, particularly in Wales and other areas with strong Welsh cultural connections, as a unique and meaningful name that reflects the rich linguistic heritage of the Welsh language.
People
Nellwyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nellwyn 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
Nellwyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nellwyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nellwyn 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Nellwyn a common name?
We classify Nellwyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nellwyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Nellwyn was 1937, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nellwyn is about 79 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 Nellwyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nellwyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nellwyn 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 Nellwyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nellwyn 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 Nellwyn 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 have the name Nellwyn?
See how many Americans are named Nellwyn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.