Nelly
Nelly is a female given name: 98% of people named Nelly are women, and it is recorded as female in 14 of the 14 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Female
- Male / female split
- 2% male / 98% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Armenia, Belgium
- US births since 1880
- 44 male / 6,674 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Nelly
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Nelly," in English, "Guten Tag Nelly," in German. Nelly is a female given name: about 98% of people named Nelly are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Nelly,
German
Guten Tag Nelly,
French
Bonjour Nelly,
Spanish
Estimado/a Nelly:
Chinese
Nelly您好：
Japanese
Nelly様
English
Hi Nelly,
German
Hi Nelly,
French
Salut Nelly,
Spanish
Hola Nelly,
Chinese
Nelly你好：
Japanese
Nellyさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | common | woman's name | 1% |
| Armenia | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Belgium | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Switzerland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Luxembourg | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Azerbaijan | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| France | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Denmark | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Georgia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Austria | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Germany | rare | woman's name | 2% |
Show all 14 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Sweden | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
44 male · 6,674 female · 6,718 births recorded
Since 1980: 1% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nelly a male or female name?
Nelly is a female given name: 98% of people named Nelly are women, and it is recorded as female in 14 of the 14 countries covered.
How do I address Nelly in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Nelly," in English, "Guten Tag Nelly," in German. Nelly is a female given name: about 98% of people named Nelly are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Nelly a unisex name?
Nelly is not a unisex name: 2% of people named Nelly are men. Nelly leans strongly female overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Nelly a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/nelly (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_nelly,
title = {Is Nelly a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/nelly},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}