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Nela

Girl name · 69 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Nela: 69 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 10 births in 2018.

Nela is a name with charmingly diverse roots, most commonly found as a short form of Cornelia or Antonela, but it also stands independently as a Slavic name meaning "shining light." Its gentle sound has made it a favourite in Central and Eastern Europe, with notable bearers including Slovak singer Nela Pocisková and ice hockey prodigy Nela Lopušanová. No major landmarks bear the name Nela directly, though the root appears in place names like the Nela River in Colombia. A delightful variant is Nella, which shares the same warm, melodic feel. In Scotland, Nela has been given to a small but steady number of baby girls since the 2000s, appealing to parents who love concise, international names with a luminous meaning.

Girl 13 of 52 years

Peak year
201810 babies
Latest (2024)
#6384 babies
Total births
69since 2010
5-year trend
≈ stablevs prior 5y
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2018 · 10
Births per year in Scotland. Missing years had a count of 2 or fewer (suppressed by NRS).