Nelly
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Nelly
Naming a child Cornelius or Nelson feels increasingly ahead of the curve in today's vintage name-loving climate. But keep Nelly for a nickname (even the rap star was christened Cornell).
Nelly for girls#1294 US
Nelly or Nellie is an adorable nickname name that can be short for a wide range of more formal appellations or that can stand on its own, and is typical of the vintage nickname genre that is growing in popularity. While Nelly can be used for several different names, from Helen to Eleanor to Cornelia, it has stood on its own for more than a century. It was one of the most popular names – spelled as Nellie – in the U.S. at the end of the 1800s.
The musician known as DJ Fatboy Slim named his little girl Nelly.
Pronounced NEL-ee.
As of October 2026, Nelly ranked #8710 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #8632 in 2021.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,567 | 139 | 77.8 |
| 2015 | #1,725 | 122 | 68.3 |
| 2016 | #1,938 | 104 | 58.7 |
| 2017 | #1,682 | 128 | 74.1 |
| 2018 | #1,994 | 99 | 58.2 |
| 2019 | #1,496 | 146 | 87 |
| 2020 | #2,027 | 92 | 56.9 |
| 2021 | #1,560 | 135 | 82.3 |
| 2022 | #1,428 | 158 | 96.3 |
| 2023 | #1,515 | 142 | 88.5 |
| 2024 | #1,358 | 168 | 103.7 |
| 2025 | #1,294 | 173 | 107.6 |
World rankings
Nelly for girls
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Nelly on lists
Famous Nellys
- Nelly (born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.)Boy
American rapper
- Nelly Kim FurtadoGirl
Canadian singer,songwriter
- Nelly Artin KalfayanGirl
Egyptian singer, actress and comedienne
- Nelly Arcan (born Isabelle Fortier)Girl
Canadian novelist
- Leonie "Nelly" SachsGirl
German poet and playwright
- Nelly Adamson LandryGirl
Belgian tennis player
- Nelly OlinGirl
French politician
- Ellen Lawless "Nelly" TernanGirl
English actress; mistress of writer Charles Dickens
- Nelly ThüringGirl
Swedish politician
- Nelly ViennotGirl
French football referee
- Nelly WickyGirl
Swiss politician
- Nelly Anna "Nel" BenschopGirl
Dutch poet
- Penelope Scotland "Nelly" DisickGirl
daughter of reality TV personalities Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian
- Nelly May Lois Cook (b. 2010)Girl
daughter of DJ Fatboy Slim and TV personality Zoe Ball
Nelly in pop culture
- Ellen "Nelly" DeanGirl
main narrator in Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights"
- Nelly WelchGirl
character in G. A. Henty's "True to the Old Flag"
- NellyGirl
character in "The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod" by Heather Brewer
- Nelly YukiGirl
character on TV's "Gossip Girl"
- Nelly HardyGirl
character in G. A. Henty's "Facing Death"
- Negative NellyGirl
Phrase