Nel

Did you know?

A few things about Nel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Nel

Nel van Vliet

Dutch swimmer (1926-2006)

Choose Nel and your child shares a first name with Nel van Vliet, a Dutch swimmer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Nel, like who?” Nel van Vliet's Wikipedia article is available in 21 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Nel van Vliet on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Daan Noske / Anefo, CC0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 270,270 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Nel, 6 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Nel would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryNel first shows up in US birth records in 1908, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 117 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1908, when it ranked #2,101. Today it's #13,208, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendNel has slipped 1,066 places over the last five years and now sits at #13,208. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.

About the name Nel

Nel is a girl name of English origin. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with N and ending in “-nel”. US birth records list Nel for girls from 1908 to 2025, in 19 of those 118 years. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked #2,101 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #13,208, with 6 babies.

Origin:English names