Meaning and history
Nelle is an English feminine diminutive of names such as Helen, Ellen, and Eleanor. Helen is Greek and of uncertain etymology, often associated with light, while Eleanor’s exact medieval origin is debated. Nelle can also stand independently, so its meaning depends on the source name. The best-known bearer was American novelist Nelle Harper Lee, who published as Harper Lee and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Other prominent exact-name examples are limited.
20062006: 8 births, rank #12,420
2007: no US SSA record for this spelling
2008: 7 births, rank #13,832
2009: 7 births, rank #13,704
2010: 7 births, rank #13,448
20112011: 5 births, rank #16,764
2012: 12 births, rank #9,109
2013: 7 births, rank #13,150
2014: 10 births, rank #10,129
2015: 18 births, rank #6,721
20162016: 17 births, rank #6,901
2017: 15 births, rank #7,442
2018: 28 births, rank #4,768
2019: 32 births, rank #4,343
2020: 37 births, rank #3,841
20212021: 29 births, rank #4,607
2022: 26 births, rank #5,028
2023: 34 births, rank #4,191
2024: 26 births, rank #5,021
20252025: 33 births, rank #4,265
Nelle moved from #907 to #920 for girls between 1926 and 1927. Its highest annual birth count came in 1917, with 169 births.