Nell
Nell is a girl name of English origin, meaning Bright, shining one.
What Nell means
Bright, shining one.
Nell is short — 4 letters, and ends on a consonant, which gives it a firmer stop.
Where Nell comes from
English names come from a long layering of Anglo-Saxon, Norman French, and biblical sources. Many began as surnames, place names, or occupations before they were ever used as first names.
Nell is recorded as English in origin. Browse other English names.
How popular is Nell?
Nell sits outside the top 100 girl names we currently track. For many parents that is the appeal: a name with genuine history behind it that has not been picked up by everyone at once.
The character of Nell
Nell spans light and brightness and the long-established classics, which is why it can read differently depending on which association you notice first. Both threads are worth following.
Names like Nell
These share Nell's themes, origin, or both — closest first.
- Bertie — Bright and famous.
- Clara — Bright, clear, famous.
- Eleanor — Shining light.
- Nora — Honour; light.
- Helen — Light; a torch.
- Helena — Bright, shining light.
- Lucy — Light.
- Albert — Noble and bright.
- Robert — Bright fame.
- Rupert — Bright fame.
- Daisy — The day's-eye flower.
- Evelyn — Wished-for child; life.
More English names
- Nash — By the ash tree.
- Nellie — Bright, shining one.
- Moss — Of the woodland; saviour.
- North — The northern direction; a guiding point.
- Mortimer — Still water; dead sea.
- Oakley — From the oak meadow.
- Mercy — Compassion and forgiveness.
- Oaklynn — From the oak meadow pool.
- Meadow — A field of wildflowers.
- Oswald — Divine power; God's ruler.