Name of the Week: Nell

 

 

Origin:

Nell started as a short-form of Eleanor (see post for origin) and later also became used as a short form of Ellen and Helen.  There is a popular theory that Nell developed from the affectionate phrase "Mine Eleanor" which became "Mine El" and then "My Nell." This certainly explains the use of Nan (Anne), Noll (Oliver), Nab (Abel), Nalle (Alice) and Ned (Edward), but doesn't explain why Elizabeth became Bess, not Ness. Ted was also used for Ed- names, Tib, Bib and Nib were used for Isabel, and Nobb, Hobb and Dobb were used for Robert. Given that so many medieval names had short-forms that were created by adding or changing the first consonant, Nell may just be a simple example of this, especially given that it was already in use as the surname Nell(le).   In the case of American novelist (Nelle) Harper Lee (1926-2016), she received the name Nelle as it was her grandmother's name (Ellen) spelled backwards.  The surname Nell does not derive from Eleanor, but instead derives from the the Old Irish name Niall. The name was taken to Norway as Njall and introduced to England as Nel, and later became Neil. The surname Nelson means "son of Nel."

Usage:

Nell has been in use as a short form since at least the 16th century, but is quite likely older. Nell is a kitchen maid in Shakespeare's play Comedy of Errors. It isn't clear when the play was written, but it was first performed in 1594. The diminutive form Nelly/Nellie also dates from at least the 17th century. The variant spelling Nelle is also found, not only in small numbers in England, but also in Prussia, the Netherlands and Scandinavia in broader numbers in the 16th century. Nella can also be found in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands at this time as well.  One of the most famous bearers was Nell Gwynne (1650-1687), one of the first actresses on the English stage, and a favourite mistress of King Charles II. Born Eleanor Gwyn, originally an orange-seller, Nell's story is a real rags-to-royalty tale. As an actress, Nell became quite the celebrity and she was well known for her frank, happy nature, high spirits and generosity. Famous diarist Samuel Pepys referred to her as "pretty, witty Nell" in 1665 and her love affair with Charles II began in 1668.  Of all of Charles' mistresses, Nell was the only one who was beloved by the public.* Reputedly, she was not grasping or greedy like other mistresses, and was “a true child of the London streets,”* never inveigling herself in politics. Her generous nature and partying lifestyle also meant she was frequently in dept. Famously, on his death bed, Charles II was said to have said “Let not poor Nelly starve” to his brother James. Nell Gwyn remained a folk hero after her death. A few girls in the 19th century were even registered with the name "Nell Gwyn(ne)."  Nell alone was uncommon but in consistent use from the 17th to the 20th century. Its usage is masked by the fact that it was more commonly used as a nickname for Eleanor and Ellen — both of which were top 20 names in England and Wales from 1538 to 1700 and were still in the top 50 until the 20th century.  Nell Trent, or "Little Nell", is the virtuous heroine of Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop (1840) and Ellen "Nelly" Dean is the housekeeper and narrator of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights (1847).  Click to enlarge In the early 19th century, Nell appears to be especially concentrated in Cardiganshire on the mid-West coast of Wales, specifically in the district of Aberayron: all of the birth registrations for Nell in the 1840s, and all but three of the registrations in the 1850s, were in this district, and this pattern continued up until the 1880s (as we can see from data from the 1881 census, see right). Nellie and Nelly were more widespread. Most of the births were in England, but when we look at births per 100,000 people, we see that it was well used in southern Scotland as well, though little used in Wales.  Registration records for Nell and variant forms as a first name in England & Wales:   Nell Nelle Nellie Nelly Nella 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 47 births 51 births 64 births 50 births 64 births 65 births 79 births 52 births 51 births 26 births 20 births 12 births 18 births 39 births 0 births 1 birth 6 births 16 births 10 births 2 births 8 births 6 births 1 birth 0 births 2 births 0 births 0 births 2 births 4 births 20 births 886 births 10060 births 35676 births 52035 births 56918 births 39007 births 16792 births 3095 births 591 births 112 births 58 births 16 births 46 births 149 births 1372 births 5246 births 7296 births 6613 births 4058 births 1912 births 492 births 91 births 12 births 3 births 5 births 9 births 0 births 1 birth 10 births 18 births 40 births 40 births 82 births 82 births 56 births 22 births 13 births 11 births 22 births 10 births As we can see from the data above, Nell was initially the most common form until Nelly saw a rise in the 1850s. This was followed by an explosion in popularity for both Nellie and Nelly in the 1860s and 1870s.  Contemporary newspapers mention the song Nelly Gray frequently in 1860 and the novel Nelly Deane: A Story Of Everyday Life (1864) was well advertised, but beyond this, there is little popular culture reference to explain the name's sudden rise, other than it fit the fashions of the time, and reflected the popularity of Ellen, Eleanor and Helen.  Indeed, Nellie/Nelly became so popular, both managed to break into the top 100 in England and Wales:   Nellie Nelly 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900:  1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: — — — #96 #46 #22 #23 #22 #32 #68 — — — — — — — #209 #94 #85 #88 #105 — — — — — — — — By the 1960s, all forms of the name were uncommon. In recent years, however, all have seen a rise.  First came Nell, which, from ranking #3126 (4 births) in 1996 in England and Wales, began to rise steeply in 2000, reaching #342 (103 births) in 2002. It has remained quite consistent since.  Since 2006, Nellie and Nelly have also been rising, with Nellie outranking Nell in 2015, when it almost tripled in use from #668 (59 births) to #307 (157 births), and Nelly also seeing a marked rise. Some of this steep rise may have been thanks to reality TOWIE star Billie Faiars naming her daughter Nelly Samantha in 2014.  In 2017 in England and Wales, Nellie ranked #233 (216 births), Nell ranked #306 (159 births), Nelly ranked #493 (88 births), Nella ranked #870 (44 births) and Nelle ranked #1681 (18 births).  The animated children's series Nella the Princess Knight (2017-) may further boost the variant Nella in upcoming years.  In all forms, Nell- names are less common in Scotland, with Nell still the most dominant form. In 2017, Nell ranked #446 (7 births), Nellie ranked #501 (6 births), Nelly ranked #1007 (2 births) and Nelle ranked #1537 (1 birth).

Famous Bearers:

History: * Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn (1650–1687), early actress and mistress of King Charles II. * Ellen "Nelly" Ternan (1839–1914), English actress. * Ellen "Nellie" Farren (1848–1904), English actress and singer. * Nellie V. Mark (1857–1935), American physician and suffragist. * Eleanor "Nellie" Stewart (1858–1931), Australian actress and singer. * Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931), Australian opera soprano. * Elizabeth Seaman aka Nellie Bly (1864–1922), American journalist. * Nelle Richmond Eberhart (1871–1944), American librettist, poet, and teacher. * Nellie McClung (1873–1951), Canadian feminist, politician, and social activist. * Nelly Thüring (1875–1972), Swedish politician and one of the first women elected to the Swedish parliament. * Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876–1977), first American woman state governor. * Nelle Scanlan MBE (1882–1968), New Zealand journalist and novelist. * Nelle Peters (1884–1974), American architects. * Leonie "Nelly" Sachs (1891–1970), German poet and dramatist. * Nell Shipman (1892–1970), Canadian actress and screenwriter. * Nelle Morton (1905–1987), American theologian, professor, feminist activist, and civil rights leader. * Nelly Landry (1916–2010), French tennis player. Contemporary: * Nell Blaine (1922–1996), American painter. * Nell Rankin (1924–2005), American opera singer. * Nelle Harper Lee (1926–2016), American novelist. * Nelly Ben-Or (born 1933), Polish concert pianist and professor. * Nell Dunn (born 1936), English playwright, screenwriter, and author. * Nell McCafferty (born 1944), Irish journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner, and feminist. * Nell Carter (1948–2003), American singer and actress. * Nell McAndrew (born 1973), English model and presenter. * Nell Freudenberger (born 1975), American novelist. * Nell Bryden (born 1977), American singer. * Nelly Furtado (born 1978), Canadian R&B singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and record producer. Literature and Other Media: * Nell, a character in Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. * Nell Trent, the heroine of Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop (1840).  * Nelly Dean, a character in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights (1847). * Nellie Oleson, from the Little House on the Prairie children's books and TV series. * Nellie Forbush, heroine of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific (1949). * Eleanor "Nell" Mangel, a character on the Australian soap opera Neighbours (1986-1988). * Nell Jones, a character from the TV series NCIS: Los Angeles.

Variants:

Nelle, Nellie, Nelly, Nella

Pronunciation:

NEL [key]

Possible  longer forms:

Eleanor, Ellen, Helen, Helena, Annelie, Annelise, Antonella, Cornelia, Daniella, Fenella, Nephele, Ornella, Penelope, Prunella

Sibling Names:

Olive     Willa     Polly     Sadie     Wren     Ada  Rex     Myles     Beau     Ted     Rafe     Otis

Name Lists:

Vintage Names   Guys and Dolls  Dickensian Names

 

If you like Nell you may also like:   Stella, Bea, Cleo, Lena, Cora, Neve, Mabel, Kitty, Nancy, Hazel

Thanks to Amy for requesting this name.