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“Variant of Eleanor — The other Aenor (from Latin alia); root sense riches and fame” — Old Provencal/Latin, ultimately Germanic; Arabic light also suggested origin
Girl's name · #1628 in the US (2025) · Comeback
Nell was #144 in 1886, slipped to #6743 by 2008, and has climbed back to #1628 today. About 28,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.
Around the world: about 1 in 530 girls in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 1,000 girls in Belgium (2025) · about 1 in 1,500 girls in N. Ireland (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 12 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 142 notable people named Nell:
Entertainers appear 2.36× more often than among typical names — e.g. Nell Tiger Free, English actress.
Similar names: Nellie · Ollie · Nella · Henrietta · Lula · Tillie
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