The name Nels reached its peak in 1918, with 65 registrations (ranked #813). It first surfaced in U.S. records in 1880, roughly 38 years before its peak. Since the peak, the name has eased to well outside the top 1,000 (around #5782) today, averaging about 16 new babies per year. Nels's usage has held roughly steady recently. Across all years on record, approximately 3,819 American babies have carried this name.