Nell is a medieval English short form of Eleanor, Ellen and Helen that arose when "mine Ell" was heard as "my Nell"; it takes its meaning, "bright, shining one", from Helen. Nell Gwyn, the actress and mistress of Charles II, and Dickens's Little Nell made it a household name in Britain. Nell has climbed in the United States from number 2879 in 2015 to a peak of number 1463 in 2024 and sits at number 1628 in 2025.