Nille as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nille

What is the meaning of the name Nille ?

The baby name Nille is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈnɪlə/ (NIL-ə); sometimes /ˈniːlə/ (NEE-lə) in Scandinavian usage.

Nille is Scandinavian in Origin.

Nille is a Scandinavian feminine name, chiefly Danish and Norwegian, that developed as a clipped, affectionate form of Pernille. Pernille itself is the local adaptation of Petronella, from Latin Petronilla, a diminutive of the Roman family name Petronia/Petronius (meaning uncertain). Through the medieval cult of Saint Petronilla, these forms spread widely; Nille later settled as a standalone given name in Scandinavia.

Records show Nille in Danish and Norwegian parish registers from the 16th to 19th centuries, and the character Nille in Ludvig Holberg’s 1722 comedy Jeppe på Bjerget anchors it in 18th‑century usage. The name declined during the 20th century and today is rare, though still heard as a nickname and occasionally revived for its vintage charm. Variants and related forms include Pernille (Danish/Norwegian), Pernilla (Swedish), Petronella/Petronilla (Latinate), Péronnelle (French), and the medieval English Pernel/Parnel; short forms include Nilla, Nelle, and Nela.