Nel
More girls were given it last year than in any year before, part of a clear comeback, though it stays rare enough that most Poles have never met one. At root it's a short form of Kornelia or Petronela.
Nel Pronunciation
Nel is pronounced NEL (/nɛl/).
What Nel means
Where Nel comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Nel is a short name that holds two longer ones. On a Polish list it reads as the familiar form of Kornelia and Petronela, the everyday version people use instead of the full baptismal name. Its recorded origin is Hebrew, older than either of those forms.
The name bends easily. Add a vowel and Nela appears; change one letter and you have Neli. These sit close together, the same short name with a slightly different ending. Nel already sounds finished, which is part of why it travels well on its own.
Picture a class register in September, where a Kornelia and a Petronela are both written out in full. By the second week the teacher is calling each of them Nel, and the long forms wait on the official card at the urząd. What stays in daily use is the short one: Nel, with Nela close behind.
How many people are named Nel
1 in 5821 women in Poland is named Nel. 3,878 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #538 among female names.
Nel's popularity over time
496 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #106 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2002.
Where Nel is most popular
Nel is most popular in Greater Poland, 53% above the national average (353 girls born 2019–2025), followed by West Pomeranian (+25%) and Kuyavian-Pomeranian (+16%). It is least common in Podlaskie and Subcarpathian, 52% and 27% below average respectively.
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Greater Poland353 girls born+53%
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West Pomeranian113 girls born+25%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian136 girls born+16%
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Lower Silesian188 girls born+12%
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Świętokrzyskie65 girls born+10%
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Pomeranian165 girls born+5%
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Lubusz55 girls born+4%
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Warmian-Masurian78 girls born+2%
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Lesser Poland234 girls born−4%
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Łódź121 girls born−11%
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Silesian214 girls born−12%
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Lublin96 girls born−13%
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Masovian327 girls born−14%
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Opole39 girls born−21%
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Subcarpathian94 girls born−27%
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Podlaskie34 girls born−52%
Nel as a middle name
Nel is a first name for 3,878 women in Poland and a middle name for another 478, an 89/11 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 318th, between Alejandra (480) and Linda (474).