Nichelle
Feminine form of a French name with Germanic origins meaning "victorious people."
Name Census estimates that about 5,121 living Americans carry the first name Nichelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nichelle today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nichelle births was 1968 (395 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nichelle. 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 Nichelle with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
5.1K
~ 1 in 66,931 Americans
Peak year
1968
395 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,841
Tracked since 1961
Census
Nichelle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,491 people with the first name Nichelle, which placed it at #3,699 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
#3,699
National first-name rank
People counted
5.5K
5,491 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
54.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nichelle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nichelle is Black at 54.7%. The next largest groups are White (28.8%) and Hispanic (8.7%). 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 Nichelle 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 Nichelle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.7% · 3,003
- White28.8% · 1,584
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 480
- Two or more races5.1% · 279
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 44
Gender
Gender distribution for Nichelle
Out of the 5,541 babies given the name Nichelle since 1880, 99.9% 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.
Nichelle as a male name
- Ranked #8,841 in 1989
- 5 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (5 births)
Nichelle as a female name
- Ranked #10,823 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1968 (395 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nichelle appears almost entirely female. Of the 5,498 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Nichelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nichelle from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 1,283 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nichelle 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 Nichelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nichelles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 35 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Nichelle, while Tennessee, Oklahoma, New Mexico recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 94 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nichelle
The given name Nichelle has its origins in the French language, with roots that can be traced back to the medieval period. This name is a feminine form derived from the Old French word "niche," which means "recess" or "nook." It is believed to have initially been used as a descriptive term, possibly referring to a person's place of residence or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Nichelle can be found in historical records from the 13th century, where it appears as a variant spelling, "Nichola." This suggests that the name was in use during the Middle Ages, though its popularity and distribution may have been limited at that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nichelle. One of the most famous is Nichelle Nichols, the American actress born in 1932, who is best known for her groundbreaking role as Lieutenant Uhura on the original Star Trek television series. Her portrayal of a leading character in a prominent science fiction franchise helped to break down racial barriers and pave the way for greater diversity in media.
Another notable Nichelle was Nichelle Gainer (1936-2018), an American gospel singer and songwriter who was a prominent figure in the genre for several decades. Her contributions to gospel music were recognized with numerous awards and honors, including induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
In the field of literature, Nichelle D. Tramble (born 1963) is an American author and screenwriter known for her novels and adaptations, including the best-selling book "The Unlikely Lavender Queen" and the film adaptation of "The Bone Collector."
In the realm of sports, Nichelle Prince (born 1995) is a Canadian soccer player who has represented her country in international competitions, including the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Olympic Games.
Lastly, Nichelle Mitchem (born 1976) is an American actress and voice artist who has lent her talents to various animated series and video games, including the popular franchises "Star Wars" and "Marvel's Spider-Man."
While the name Nichelle may have originated as a descriptive term, it has since evolved into a distinct given name, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields throughout history.
People
Nichelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nichelle 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
Nichelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nichelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,121 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nichelle 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 66,931 US residents.
Is Nichelle a common name?
We classify Nichelle 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, 5,541 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nichelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Nichelle was 1968, when 395 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nichelle is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nichelle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,491 people with the name Nichelle, or 1.82 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,699 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 Nichelle 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 Nichelle?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nichelle appears almost entirely female. Of the 5,498 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Nichelle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nichelle is Black at 54.7%. The next largest groups are White (28.8%) and Hispanic (8.7%). 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 Nichelle most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Nichelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.7% (3,003 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 Nichelle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nichelle a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Nichelle 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 Nichelle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nichelle 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 Nichelle 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 Americans are named Nichelle?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.