Nela is a distinctive choice, ranked #751 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Nela in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#751
About the Name Nela
Nela has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 120 places in five years. It was most popular in 2019 at #513 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a regular feature in UK records since 2005.
Nela is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Nela
Unlikely. With around 50 UK babies named Nela per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Nela in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Nela has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 120 places in the last five years. Its peak was #513 in 2019. Choosing it now means she is likely to be among the last of her generation with this name.
Nela is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Nela include: Nela Hasanbegović — Nela Hasanbegović is a Bosnian sculptor.; Nela Riehl — Nela Riehl is a German politician and teacher who is a Member of the European Parliament for Volt Europa, elected in the 2024 European parliament election.; Nela Zisser — Nela Louise Zisser is a New Zealand model and Miss Earth New Zealand 2013, as well as a competitive eater..
Nela does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Nelas in the wild.
50
UK babies named Nela (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 120 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Nela
Likely around 1 other Nela in the class
UK Popularity (2005–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Nela
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Nela Riehl is a German politician and teacher who is a Member of the European Parliament for Volt Europa, elected in the 2024 European parliament election.
Nela Navarro is a professor at Rutgers University where she is an executive committee member of the UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention and the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. She was a lecturer at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University's Chazen Business School, and abroad at Shanghai International Studies University.
Nela Pamuković is a Croatian feminist, lesbian, anti-war activist who is a pioneer of second-wave feminism in Yugoslavia. She is the co-founder and coordinator of the Centre for Women Victims of War – ROSA (Centre ROSA).