Nell
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Nell
Nell, once a nickname for Helen, Ellen, or Eleanor, is a sweet old-fashioned charmer that is fashionably used today in its own right. While Nell is perfectly in tune with contemporary vintage name style, it hasn't taken off the way some of its sisters have and so maintains an air of distinction. Use Nell or Nellie as a short for any name from Eleanor to Penelope or just name her Nell.
Nell was the pet name Franklin D. Roosevelt called his wife Eleanor (along with Babs), the famous Little Nell in Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop was Elinor, and the infamous mistress of Charles II, Nell Gwynne, was born Eleanor as well.
Nell was the belle of the ball in the US back in the late 19th century but has been off the charts since 1956. Meanwhile across the pond in England and Wales, it a much more on-trend choice, currently in the Top 400, though it has seen a decline in use in recent years.
Sister name Nellie has been rising faster however, and entered the Top 100 in the UK for the first time in 2023; Nelly also ranks in the UK, just behind Nell. In the US, Nellie saw a big jump in a recent year and reached the Top 600, which might make Nell feel more popular than it is.
Jodie Foster played the title character of the 1994 movie Nell, and Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton named their daughter Nell, keeping the family tradition of names related to Helen.
Nell is also given to boys.
Pronounced NEL.
As of October 2026, Nell ranked #1628 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #144 in 1886, Nameberry popularity #265.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #3,698 | 42 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #2,878 | 61 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #2,556 | 70 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #2,195 | 87 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #2,469 | 72 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #1,783 | 115 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #2,273 | 79 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #2,021 | 96 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #1,749 | 119 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #1,682 | 123 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #1,460 | 150 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #1,628 | 128 | — | 0 |
World rankings
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Nell on lists
Famous Nells
- Eleanor "Nell" GwynGirl
English actress and mistress
- Laura Elizabeth "Little Nell" CampbellGirl
Australian actress and singer
- Nell Ruth CarterGirl
American singer and actress
- Nell Rose HudsonGirl
British actress
- Nell Tiger FreeGirl
English actress and singer
- Nell Blair Walden BlaineGirl
American painter
- Nell BrydenGirl
American singer
- Nell Mary DunnGirl
English playwright
- Nell FreudenbergerGirl
American novelist
- Tracey Jane "Nell" McAndrewGirl
English glamour model
- Nell McCaffertyGirl
Irish journalist and playwright
- Nell MescalGirl
Irish singer and sister of Paul Mescal
- Nell O'DayGirl
American actress and equestrian
- Nell RankinGirl
American operatic mezzo,soprano
- Nell Shipman (born Helen FosterGirl
Barham), Canadian actress
- Ragnhild "Nell" Westgaard SiglandGirl
Norwegian singer of Theatre of Tragedy
- Scottie Nell HughesGirl
American political commentator
- Nell BurtonGirl
daughter of Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton
- Nell Gorman (b. 2009)Girl
son of actor Burn Gorman
- Nell Elizabeth Kennedy (b. 2015)Girl
daughter of politician Patrick Kennedy
- Nell Fisher Girl
British-New Zealand actress
Nell in pop culture
- Nell Trent aka Little NellGirl
main character in Charles Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop"
- Nell KelltyGirl
main character in movie "Nell"
- Nell BedworthGirl
character in movie "It's a Boy Girl Thing"
- Nell JonesGirl
character on TV's "NCIS: Los Angeles"
- Nell TurbodyGirl
character on TV's "Rescue Me"
- Nellodee "NellGirl
" character in Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer"
- Nell McLaughlinGirl
character in "My friend Flicka" by Mary O'Hara
- Nell FenwickGirl
character in the "Dudley Do,Right" segments of animated series "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show"
- Nell RebecchiGirl
character on Australian soap opera "Neighbours"
- Nell StoneGirl
main character in "Euphoria" by Lily King, inspired by the life of Margaret Mead