Gender
Origin
- Celtic/Gaelic
- Champion
- English
- Variant of Eleanor, Cornelia, Prunella and similar names
- Greek
- Light; familiar form of Eleanor, Cornelia, Prunella, and similar names
Syllables
1
Themes
- Shakespearean
Alternate Spellings and Variants of Nell
Famous People
Actress and singer Nell Carter
Popularity in the USA
- Boys: peak in 1933 (rank #2541, 9 births); most recent 1977 (rank #5115, 6 births)
- Girls: peak in 1917 (rank #220, 766 births); most recent 2025 (rank #1622, 128 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 128 |
| 2024 | – | 150 |
| 2023 | – | 123 |
| 2022 | – | 119 |
| 2021 | – | 96 |
| 2020 | – | 79 |
| 2019 | – | 115 |
| 2018 | – | 72 |
| 2017 | – | 87 |
| 2016 | – | 70 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in the USA (2025)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), national baby names data (public domain). This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA. Data years: 1880 to 2025. Original data
Popularity in England and Wales
- Girls: peak in 2022 (rank #263, 173 births); most recent 2025 (rank #408, 100 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 100 |
| 2024 | 108 |
| 2023 | 149 |
| 2022 | 173 |
| 2021 | 160 |
| 2020 | 129 |
| 2019 | 156 |
| 2018 | 141 |
| 2017 | 159 |
| 2016 | 139 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in England and Wales (2025)
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Baby names in England and Wales. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1996 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in France
- Boys: peak in 2007 (rank #1340, 21 births); most recent 2023 (rank #3645, 5 births)
- Girls: peak in 2013 (rank #346, 178 births); most recent 2023 (rank #660, 63 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | 63 |
| 2022 | 3 | 80 |
| 2021 | 4 | 104 |
| 2020 | 4 | 94 |
| 2019 | 6 | 100 |
| 2018 | 5 | 88 |
| 2017 | 3 | 100 |
| 2016 | 4 | 99 |
| 2015 | 5 | 125 |
| 2014 | 7 | 149 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in France (2023)
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (last updated 8 July 2024), used under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0. Changes: names are shown in title case, and spellings that differ only by accents are counted together. Data years: 1900 to 2023. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Ireland
- Girls: peak in 2024 (rank #114, 42 births); most recent 2025 (rank #117, 40 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 40 |
| 2024 | 42 |
| 2023 | 36 |
| 2022 | 41 |
| 2021 | 40 |
| 2020 | 26 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2018 | 22 |
| 2017 | 27 |
| 2016 | 19 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Ireland (2025)
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland, Irish Babies' Names (tables VSA50 and VSA60), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes: spellings that differ only by accents (for example Rian and Rían) are counted together. Data years: 1964 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Scotland
- Girls: peak in 2024 (rank #230, 16 births); most recent 2025 (rank #359, 9 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2024 | 16 |
| 2023 | 13 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2016 | 3 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Scotland (2025)
Source: National Records of Scotland (NRS), Babies' First Names. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1974 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Northern Ireland
- Girls: peak in 2024 (rank #253, 6 births); most recent 2025 (rank #290, 5 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Northern Ireland (2025)
Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Baby Names. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1997 to 2025. Original data · Licence