Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Nella?
Births per year, rank history and how many Nellas are alive today.
Nella (female) is a shortened form of the name Antonia (and sometimes of Nellie). Although Nella itself was given to 45 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 807th as a registered name), most Nellas are registered as Antonia, which ranked 439th in 2025 with 91 babies.
Most people called Nella are registered as Antonia, and share that name's profile: the Antonia you are most likely to meet is around 8 years old - or else around 29: the name has two living generations. Half of all Antonias born in England and Wales are between 9 and 30, and there are at least 6,900 of them alive today. Only some Antonias go by Nella.
How many babies are named Nella or Antonia each year?
Combined registrations of Antonia, Nella. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Antonia rank as a registered name?
Where does Nella 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 Nella short for Antonia?
Yes - Nella is a shortened form of Antonia. It is also used for Nellie. Nellas are usually registered as Antonia at birth.
When was the name Nella most popular?
The full name Antonia peaked in 2019, when 283 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Nella itself peaked as a registered name in 2019, with 60 babies.
How many people are called Nella?
There's no official count of people who go by Nella, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 6,900 people registered as Antonia born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Nella.
How old is the typical Nella?
Most people called Nella are registered as Antonia. Most living Antonias are between 9 and 30; the most common age is about 8. There is a second cluster around 29.
Is Nella becoming more or less popular?
Declining: numbers have been falling in recent years.