Nellie vs Ava
How Nellie and Ava compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Nellie (girls) vs Ava (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Nellie | Ava |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1918 — 4,048 girls | 2007 — 18,053 girls |
| Peak rank | #65 | #4 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #533 (567 births) | #11 (7,732 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 101,117 | 323,669 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 3,108 | 125,221 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Ava reached 18,053 US births in 2007 — 14,005 more than Nellie's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Nellie births | Ava births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ava | 0 | 1,796 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Nellie — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | #309 | 36 |
| 2 | Nebraska | #335 | 48 |
| 3 | Iowa | #335 | 77 |
| 4 | Utah | #345 | 123 |
| 5 | West Virginia | #351 | 16 |
Ava — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | #1 | 1,585 |
| 2 | Georgia | #2 | 4,911 |
| 3 | Alabama | #2 | 2,308 |
| 4 | South Carolina | #3 | 2,038 |
| 5 | North Carolina | #3 | 4,560 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →