The first name Nelle
A girl’s name.
1 syllable Female
Meaning and origin
From Ellen spelled backwards. Popularized by author Harper Lee, whose first name Nelle was so derived from her grandmother’s.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 18 girls were named Nelle, making it the 1,639th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2021, with 29 births (#1,161).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Nelle with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Nelle at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 33 girls born in the United States were named Nelle, the 4,325th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1917, when 169 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Questions
- What does the name Nelle mean?
- From Ellen spelled backwards. Popularized by author Harper Lee, whose first name Nelle was so derived from her grandmother’s.
- How popular is the name Nelle?
- In 2025, 18 girls born in England and Wales were named Nelle, ranking 1,639th. Its peak was 2021, with 29 births.
- Is Nelle a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 5,794 US babies named Nelle since 1880 were girls.
- When was Nelle most popular?
- 1917 in the United States, when 169 babies were named Nelle, its highest rank at 510th.