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Girl · English short form
Nelle
Say it: NEL
Meaning
A variant of Nell, a short form of Helen, Eleanor or Ellen; Helen's origin is unknown.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Used in the American South around 1880 to 1920.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1890s
In the United States
- 5,645 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1890, about 1 in 1,300 girls
- 37 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Nell, Nellie
Famous bearers
- Nelle Harper Lee, American novelist
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.