Nelia
A feminine name derived from the Latin "nellus" meaning bright, shining.
Name Census estimates that about 828 living Americans carry the first name Nelia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nelia today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nelia births was 2015 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nelia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Nelia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
828
~ 1 in 413,955 Americans
Peak year
2015
24 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,309
Tracked since 1880
Census
Nelia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,317 people with the first name Nelia, which placed it at #5,236 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,236
National first-name rank
People counted
3.3K
3,317 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
42.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nelia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nelia is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.2%) and Hispanic (24.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nelia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nelia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander42.1% · 1,398
- White27.2% · 902
- Hispanic or Latino24.4% · 811
- Black or African American4.3% · 141
- Two or more races1.8% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Nelia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nelia from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 163 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nelia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nelia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nelia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nelias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Nelia, while North Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nelia
The name Nelia is thought to have originated from the Latin name Cornelia, which itself is derived from the Roman family name Cornelius. Cornelia was a prominent name among Roman nobility, with roots dating back to the 6th century BC. The earliest recorded spelling of Nelia can be traced back to medieval Italy, where it was likely a diminutive or nickname form of Cornelia.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Nelia was Nelia Caecilia Metella, a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century BC. She was the wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus, a wealthy Roman politician and military commander. Records indicate that Nelia came from a wealthy and influential family, which may have contributed to the name's association with nobility and prestige.
During the Middle Ages, the name Nelia gained popularity among Italian noble families, particularly in regions like Tuscany and Umbria. Several historical figures bore the name, including Nelia dei Conti di Segni, a 13th-century Italian noblewoman from the powerful Conti di Segni family.
In the 16th century, Nelia Brocadelli, an Italian Renaissance poet and writer from Ferrara, became one of the most notable bearers of the name. Her works, which explored themes of love and spirituality, were widely acclaimed during her lifetime and contributed to the literary legacy of the name.
Another noteworthy figure was Nelia Donnini, a 17th-century Italian painter from Florence. She was part of the Florentine Renaissance art movement and specialized in religious and mythological paintings, many of which can still be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
In the 18th century, Nelia Negretti Morosini, an Italian noblewoman and philanthropist from Venice, became known for her charitable works and support for the arts. She was a patron of numerous artists and writers, and her name was associated with cultural and intellectual pursuits during that time.
While the name Nelia has its roots in ancient Rome and medieval Italy, it has been used across various cultures and regions over the centuries, albeit with varying levels of popularity. The name's enduring legacy and historical significance stem from its association with nobility, literature, and the arts, making it a unique and intriguing choice for those seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Nelia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nelia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nelia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nelia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 828 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nelia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 413,955 US residents.
Is Nelia a common name?
We classify Nelia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,566 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nelia most popular?
The single biggest year for Nelia was 2015, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nelia is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nelia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,317 people with the name Nelia, or 1.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,236 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nelia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nelia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nelia appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,315 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nelia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nelia is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.2%) and Hispanic (24.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nelia most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nelia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.1% (1,398 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nelia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nelia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nelia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nelia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nelia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nelia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Nelia as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Nelia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.