Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Nell?
Births per year, rank history and how many Nells are alive today.
Nell (female) is a shortened form of the name Eleanor (and sometimes of Helen). Although Nell itself was given to 100 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 408th as a registered name), most Nells are registered as Eleanor, which ranked 56th in 2025 with 776 babies.
Most people called Nell are registered as Eleanor, and share that name's profile: the Eleanor you are most likely to meet is around 29 years old. Half of all Eleanors born in England and Wales are between 18 and 40, and there are at least 77,000 of them alive today. Only some Eleanors go by Nell.
How many babies are named Nell or Eleanor each year?
Combined registrations of Eleanor, Nell. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Eleanor rank as a registered name?
Where does Nell rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Nell short for Eleanor?
Yes - Nell is a shortened form of Eleanor. It is also used for Helen. Nells are usually registered as Eleanor at birth.
When was the name Nell most popular?
The full name Eleanor peaked in 1997, when 2,763 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Nell itself peaked as a registered name in 2022, with 173 babies.
How many people are called Nell?
There's no official count of people who go by Nell, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 77,000 people registered as Eleanor born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Nell.
How old is the typical Nell?
Most people called Nell are registered as Eleanor. Most living Eleanors are between 18 and 40; the most common age is about 29.
Is Nell becoming more or less popular?
Declining: numbers have been falling in recent years.