Nellie
Nellie is a girl name of English origin, meaning Bright, shining one.
What Nellie means
Bright, shining one.
Nellie sits at 6 letters, and ends on a vowel, which tends to make a name sound open and carry well when called across a room.
Where Nellie 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.
Nellie is recorded as English in origin. Browse other English names.
How popular is Nellie?
Nellie does not currently chart in the top 100 girl names. Rankings move constantly, and names can spend decades out of the lists before returning — so this says more about the present moment than about the name itself.
The character of Nellie
We group Nellie under light and brightness. If that is the quality drawing you to it, the theme link below collects every other name we hold in the same group.
Themes: Light
Names like Nellie
These share Nellie's themes, origin, or both — closest first.
- Daisy — The day's-eye flower.
- Nell — Bright, shining one.
- Dawn — First light of day.
- Emberly — Glowing ember; spark.
- Ivory — Pure, creamy white.
- Maisie — Pearl; child of light.
- Summer — The warm, bright season.
- Bertie — Bright and famous.
- Sunny — Bright and cheerful as the sun.
- Wilbur — Resolute and brilliant.
- Akari — Light, brightness.
- Aurora — Dawn; goddess of sunrise.
More English names
- Nell — Bright, shining one.
- North — The northern direction; a guiding point.
- Nash — By the ash tree.
- Oakley — From the oak meadow.
- Moss — Of the woodland; saviour.
- Oaklynn — From the oak meadow pool.
- Mortimer — Still water; dead sea.
- Oswald — Divine power; God's ruler.
- Mercy — Compassion and forgiveness.
- Ottoline — Prosperous; fortunate.