About the name Nell
Once a throwaway pet form of Eleanor and Helen, Nell has been reclaimed by parents who want something brief without the sugar. It carries a faint whiff of Dickens and cobblestones, which turns out to be exactly its selling point.
Nell is a girl name of English origin, pronounced NEL. On the NameRarity scale it scores 78 out of 100, which places it in the very rare band — a genuinely uncommon pick — most people have never met anyone with this name. Its strongest period was the Victorian era.
Name facts at a glance
How popular is Nell?
Nell currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 7.6 people per million carry it — about 1 in 131,579. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.
Famous people named Nell
- Nell Gwyn17th-century English actress at the Restoration court
- Nell ZinkAmerican novelist
Spellings and variants of Nell
Names similar to Nell
Della
DELL-ah
Noble
Bellamy
BELL-ah-mee
Fine friend
Dashiell
DASH-ee-ul
From an anglicized French surname
Klara
KLAH-rah
Bright, clear
Ellery
EL-uh-ree
From the elder tree, or a form of Hilary
Hiya
HEE-yaa
Heart
Isabella
iz-uh-BEL-uh
Devoted to God, God is my oath
Jack
JAK
God is gracious
Nell — frequently asked questions
What does the name Nell mean?
Nell means "Bright, shining one". It is a name of English origin, most often given to a girl.
How do you pronounce Nell?
Nell is pronounced NEL, with 1 syllable.
How rare is the name Nell?
Nell scores 78 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it very rare. Roughly 1 in every 131,579 people carry it — about 7.6 per million.
What is the numerology number for Nell?
Nell carries the expression number 7, known as The Seeker. Its soul urge number is 5 and its personality number is 11.
What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Nell?
The lucky number for Nell is 7 (with 16, 25, 34 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Deep Violet. The traditional lucky day is Monday and the associated gemstone is Sapphire.