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Nela as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nela

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The baby name Nela is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈnɛla/ (NEH-lah); English variants: /ˈniːlə/ (NEE-lə) or /ˈneɪlə/ (NAY-lə).

Nela is Croatian, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Croatian, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish
Pronunciation: /ˈnɛla/ (NEH-lah); English variants: /ˈniːlə/ (NEE-lə) or /ˈneɪlə/ (NAY-lə)

What is the meaning of the name Nela ?

The baby name Nela is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈnɛla/ (NEH-lah); English variants: /ˈniːlə/ (NEE-lə) or /ˈneɪlə/ (NAY-lə).

Nela is Croatian, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish in Origin.

Nela is a pan-European short form turned independent given name. Used in Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovenian, Polish, German, and Spanish contexts, it can derive from several sources: Helena/Elena (Greek Helene, “torch, light”), Cornelia (Latin cornu, “horn”), Manuela/Emmanuela (from Hebrew Immanuel, “God is with us”), Daniela (“God is my judge”), and Antonela/Antonella (from Roman Antonius, often interpreted as “priceless”). Because it abbreviates multiple longer names, the precise meaning varies by family tradition and language.

As a pet form it appears in 19th‑century records and Spanish literature (notably Galdós’s Marianela, called Nela); it became an independent given name in the late 20th century and rose sharply in Central Europe during the 2000s. Variants and related forms include Nella, Neela, and Nelia/Nélia; diminutives and nicknames include Nel, Neli, and Nelka. Source forms linked to Nela include Antonela/Antonella, Cornelia, Petronela/Petronella, Manuela, Daniela, Helena/Elena, and Aniela.

Nela has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Nela

Nela Pocisková Actor · Born 1990 · Slovakia Nela Pocisková is a Slovak actress and singer best known for her role in the popular Slovak TV series 'Búrlivé víno'. She also gained attention for her performance in the musical 'West Side Story' and her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest as part of the duo TWiiNS.

Nela – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
AL 0 #65 11 2,372
AO 0 #73 5 2,729
CZ Girls 0 #75 1,060 5,378
RS 0 #78 7 923
SI 0 #80 1 1,612
RS Girls 0 #88 52 1,651
MD Girls 0 #92 1 865
AF Girls 0 #93 2 2,402
ID Girls 0 #100 3 3,319
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
IR Girls 0 #109 1,124 8,334
CZ 0 #111 91 3,154
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
Switzerland Girls 2024 #121 15 1,786
CY Girls 0 #122 4 3,755
CR 0 #123 36 5,526
AL Girls 0 #126 107 4,141
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
MU 0 #134 4 3,613
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
HR Girls 0 #142 237 3,687
AO Girls 0 #149 62 4,575
HR 0 #153 27 2,081
RS Boys 0 #153 2 2,277
IR 0 #156 80 4,221
SI Girls 0 #158 17 2,769
LU Girls 0 #160 26 4,850
PR Girls 0 #167 1 3,171
Sweden Girls 2022 #178 2 1,568
UY 0 #180 3 2,477
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
AR 0 #192 2 2,915
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
BG Girls 0 #199 25 3,559
PL Girls 0 #206 215 5,096
PL 0 #206 7 2,600
PT Girls 0 #212 396 7,952
GR Girls 0 #219 24 6,293
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
CR Girls 0 #222 414 11,342
PT 0 #224 23 4,161
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
NA Girls 0 #234 4 7,146
BD 0 #236 6 5,992
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
EC Girls 0 #255 4 3,650
HR Boys 0 #256 4 3,997
MU Girls 0 #267 85 8,539
Canada Girls 2023 #270 10 2,824
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
IL 0 #279 4 6,291
TW Girls 0 #284 6 8,139
AL Boys 0 #297 7 5,122
PE 0 #300 11 6,350
CZ Boys 0 #301 5 6,530
DK Girls 0 #306 11 7,429
SA 0 #309 4 10,560
BD Girls 0 #317 70 8,413
KZ Girls 0 #330 3 5,862
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
GT 0 #335 4 5,948
JO Girls 0 #335 5 7,570
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
QA Girls 0 #336 8 15,378
PL Boys 0 #339 2 6,459
MY 0 #354 1 12,352
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
BO 0 #364 18 6,868
Austria Girls 0 #373 48 1,885
OM Girls 0 #375 22 15,987
PT Boys 0 #377 5 7,951
France Girls 2021 #396 10 3,185
CL 0 #401 11 6,867
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
BO Girls 0 #417 207 9,488
Germany 0 #424 14 2,542
Spain 0 #426 27 2,326
PH Girls 0 #426 4 13,098
UY Girls 0 #426 85 6,731
PA Girls 0 #440 42 9,861
MX 0 #443 3 8,339
ZA 0 #473 2 14,421
IQ Girls 0 #484 21 11,303
RU Girls 0 #486 13 11,913
GT Girls 0 #492 14 7,500
KW Girls 0 #498 18 19,177
PS Girls 0 #504 20 10,981
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
CO 0 #506 5 7,768
CR Boys 0 #508 3 10,188
Spain Girls 0 #537 529 5,561
AE Girls 0 #543 11 20,968
CM Girls 0 #554 7 11,671
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
IR Boys 0 #560 6 10,162
AR Girls 0 #563 37 8,289
SG Girls 0 #573 14 18,916
BH 0 #580 8 17,937
IL Girls 0 #581 37 11,648
BD Boys 0 #601 5 10,045
BO Boys 0 #620 3 9,244
HK Girls 0 #643 8 16,104
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
IT Girls 0 #670 1,134 9,415
IT 0 #677 38 4,183
LB 0 #689 2 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #695 3 13,071
CL Boys 0 #699 2 13,390
Finland Girls 2026 #717 22 3,895
PE Girls 0 #717 231 14,861
CL Girls 0 #728 124 14,098
Germany Girls 0 #737 102 4,949
QA Boys 0 #739 5 18,093
SG Boys 0 #739 1 17,960
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
KW Boys 0 #800 7 18,755
NG Girls 0 #826 1 15,093
TN 0 #859 7 13,765
CO Girls 0 #861 221 16,140
OM Boys 0 #869 13 17,948
SA Girls 0 #881 55 25,931
United States Girls 2024 #903 14 8,487
NL Girls 0 #912 44 5,933
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
MY Girls 0 #964 31 24,821
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
BR Girls 0 #985 8 12,708
EG Girls 0 #1,005 5 14,742
ZA Girls 0 #1,029 113 25,928
MX Boys 0 #1,030 4 16,355
MX Girls 0 #1,033 151 17,781
IN Boys 0 #1,038 2 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,081 12 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,102 10 25,439
MA 0 #1,193 7 20,986
TR 0 #1,194 18 19,440
DZ 0 #1,226 9 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,266 7 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,450 22 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,602 13 28,008

Nela is popular in 77 countries — most recent births per country:

Switzerland
United States
Ireland
France
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Nela

Nela is predominantly a girl's name.
Nela is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈnɛla/ (NEH-lah); English variants: /ˈniːlə/ (NEE-lə) or /ˈneɪlə/ (NAY-lə).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Nella, Nelia, Nelka, Neli, Nel and Nelly.
Yes, very popular — Nela ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Nela ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Nela's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 1 notable people named Nela are in our database, including Nela Pocisková (Actor).