Nellie vs Sophia
How Nellie and Sophia 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 Sophia (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 | Sophia |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1918 — 4,048 girls | 2012 — 22,335 girls |
| Peak rank | #65 | #1 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #533 (567 births) | #5 (12,561 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 101,117 | 388,433 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 3,108 | 133,616 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Sophia reached 22,335 US births in 2012 — 18,287 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 | Sophia births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Sophia | 0 | 3,640 |
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 |
Sophia — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | #3 | 769 |
| 2 | New York | #3 | 8,010 |
| 3 | Illinois | #3 | 4,861 |
| 4 | Arizona | #4 | 3,118 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | #4 | 2,790 |
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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 →