Nelle is a girl name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nelle means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nelle across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nelle has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nelle is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “light; horn”. A short form of Eleanor or Helen.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 5,794 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 198 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Nelle per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1917 (169/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2023 (26/yr).
Nelle has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1917, when it ranked #939 nationally (given to 169 babies that year).
Nellie · Neil · Nell · Noelle · Neal · Newell · Noelia · Nella
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