How old is someone named Nellie?
The average Nellie is 58 years old.
Half of all living Nellies are between 34 and 83. The average sits between a large older group and a younger one, so many Nellies are much older than 58.
When was Nellie popular?
Nellie was at its most popular in the late 1910s. Parents have been moving away from it for decades, and 567 babies were named Nellie in 2025.
Popular names of 1918 · The most popular names of the 1910s →
Show the numbers by decade
| Born in | Babies born | Alive today |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 16,394 | 0 |
| 1910s | 30,968 | 0 |
| 1920s | 29,817 | 460 |
| 1930s | 17,835 | 3,600 |
| 1940s | 10,244 | 5,600 |
| 1950s | 5,360 | 4,100 |
| 1960s | 2,409 | 2,100 |
| 1970s | 1,479 | 1,400 |
| 1980s | 1,112 | 1,100 |
| 1990s | 838 | 820 |
| 2000s | 971 | 960 |
| 2010s | 1,859 | 1,800 |
| 2020s | 2,800 | 2,800 |
How many Nellies are still alive?
About 25,000 Nellies are alive in the US today. That's 16% of the roughly 150,000 babies named Nellie since 1880.
Most Nellies ever born have died: the name was most popular in 1918, long enough ago that many of those babies are gone.
What generation is the name Nellie?
About one in three living Nellies are Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964.
Is Nellie an old name?
Yes. Nellie is older than 87 in 100 names on AgeByName.
Looking ahead: if babies keep getting the name at today's pace, the typical Nellie will be 29 in 2056, so its average age will actually fall, as the youngest Nellies make up more of the total.
Is Nellie a boy or girl name?
Almost entirely girls: 99.9% of living Nellies are women.
Names the same age as Nellie
NAME TWIN
Nellie's name twin is Nell. Of all 3,713 names on AgeByName, Nell's age curve is the closest match to Nellie's: 93% alike.
Other spellings: Nelly (29)
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Questions about the name Nellie
How old is the average Nellie?
The average Nellie in the US is 58 years old. The median is 71, so half are older and half younger.
How many people are named Nellie?
About 25,000 Nellies are alive in the US today, out of roughly 150,000 babies given the name since 1880.
When was the name Nellie most popular?
In 1918, when about 4,100 baby girls were named Nellie.
Is Nellie a Boomer name?
Partly. Baby Boomers are the largest group, about 31% of living Nellies, but the name spans several generations.
Estimates from Social Security Administration baby-name records (births 1880–2025) and SSA cohort life tables (2026 Trustees Report). Updated each spring. How we calculate this