She’s an affectionate short form with a long history of use.
Thanks to Sarah for suggesting Nell as our Baby Name of the Day.
Nan and Nell both acquired their N in same fashion. Once upon a time, it was common to refer to a loved as my or mine – or maybe mon, in French and Norman English. Nan was a contraction of “my Ann.” Nell could have come from Eleanor, Ellen, or maybe Helen – or any name that started with the el sound.
The first famous Nell made her name as an actress in Restoration England, and became the mistress of King Charles II.
Born in humble circumstances, she became a leading ladies in comedies, playing roles like Florimel in John Dryden’s The Maiden Queen. This was no small feat. Theater was new, and Nell Gwyn was likely illiterate, making learning her lines a challenge. As her star rose, she attracted the eye of many a suitor.
The king wasn’t her first aristocratic lover; she wasn’t his first – or last – mistress. Still, it makes for something of a Cinderella story. It is often said that she started out selling oranges in the back of the theater, became one of the most admired actresses of her day, and ended as the mistress of the king, and mother of his children.
Unlike many royal mistresses, her reputation is mostly positive. Samuel Pepys called her “pretty, witty Nell.” Her story has been retold many times, in an 1884 operetta, a 1911 film – the first of more than a dozen, and books galore.
Her given name was probably Eleanor, though little is known of her early life. Other famous Nells include:
- Charles Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop gave us the virtuous Nell Trent.
- Canadian actress Nell Shipman was an early Canadian silent film star, born Helen.
- Another silent film star was born Maybelle, and known as Mabel or Nell Taliaferro.
- It was the name of the damsel in distress, tied to the train tracks and ready for rescuing by Dudley Do-Right in the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.
- It’s the birth name of Tony Award winning actress Nell Carter.
- Actress Nell Campbell – born Laura Elizabeth – went on to establish a legendary New York City nightclub called Nell’s.
- The 1994 film Nell starred Jodie Foster as a young woman raised without any contact with the outside world.
- Songstress Nelly Furtado was named after gold medal winning gymnast Nellie Kim.
- Of course there’s Nellie Olesen, of Little House on the Prairie fame.
- I’m intrigued by the novel The Diamond Age, if only because one of the main characters is Nell, short for Nellodee.
It is sometimes a surname, too, in which case it probably has different origins, related to Cornelius or maybe Neil.
The question is does Nell stand alone, or does she have to be short for something? Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter gave the name to their daughter. And short names for girls, from Mae to Sloane are very much in favor. My inclination would be to put Helena or Penelope or maybe even Antonella on a child’s birth certificate, but I think she could stand on her own, too.
This is one of the few nns I like as a given name. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve an aunt with the initials N.E.L.L. who goes by Elizabeth & her grandfather called her Nell. It feels sweet & fresh to me.
FYI — the link for this post in my feed reader didn’t work.
I used to be deadset against nicknames as given names, but then I was placed in an awful naming situation. I wanted to name my daughter for my beloved grandmother Gertrude and my husband could not stand the name! We couldn’t find any G names that we liked either and were starting to look into unconventional options like Amethyst and Lavender for her favorite color or Rose for the perfume she wore… Then I started to think and spoke to relatives. Grandma hated her name and went by Trudy all her life. So we decided to name our little girl Trudy for her and no one looked askance at us or asked us if it were short for anything. So long story short, I think Nell might work because it’s one of those sweet, old-fashioned nicknames that people are used to hearing stand alone.
I love Trudy! But Gertrude does feel like a heavy name to put on a child – I think your compromise is perfect.
Nell is one of my favorites, mostly because my Gramma was named Nellie, but it’s such a sweet, spunky name. I think I’d put Helen or Annelle on the birth certificate.
Oh, I love Nell! Helena is my favorite name for a girl, and Nell is my favorite short form.
I like Nell, and Nellie, I go back and forth on Nella. I like it as a nickname but I also like Nell on it’s own. The main thing for me is, using it as a nickname lets me use more names I like, in a way. Just Nell on the birth certificate seems to make it less likely that she’ll get called Elenore or Helen or Penelope by anyone outside the family.
There’s a Nella in my neighborhood. I think it works well as a longer form, and yet I know exactly what you mean about being able to use more names with nicknames included!
The first thing that always comes to my mind is “First comes the stocking of little Nell. Oh dear Santa, fill it well!” It has a youthful, and Christmas-y, feel to me. I would opt for Helen, Eleanor, Penelope, etc. with Nell as a nickname. I think Nell makes a nice middle, too.
That’s a really great reference! And Nell would be a great middle name.
Another famous Nell is Harper Lee. She was born Nelle Harper Lee.
Like Nell and Nella. Can’t get past Nellie Olsen (or whoa, Nellie!). I think Nell works well on it’s own.
Nell is such a sweet name to me. I imagine people who grew up watching Nellie Olsen might think differently, but to me, it’s all sweetness! I can see it as a standalone on the birth certificate for sure, but I’m in the nickname name, name them what you plan to call them camp. The most interesting part of this post for me was reading the name Nellodee. I love discovering new names!
My daughter is Nella, after a little Jamaican girl I worked with on a teaching stint in the UK with the nn Nella who I was smitten by, her full name was Othniella. Our little Nella gets Nell or Nellsie or Nella. I often get told “my Nonna’s name is Nella” (most commonly short for Antonella). I love it.
I love Nell, it has such a lovely innocent flair to it.