Daily AncestorNell
Nell is an old nickname for Ellen, Helen or Eleanor, found in American records of the 1700s and 1800s.
Nell is an old short form shared by Ellen, Helen and Eleanor, names that were sometimes treated as interchangeable in records.
The same woman can be Ellen in one record and Nell in the next, for example a birth under one name and a marriage under the other. Match age, place and relatives before you join the two. Because Nell served for more than one name, see which full name the same woman carries in other records.
As seen in a record1850 census; her 1833 marriage record calls her Ellen
Nell Tibbals, 36, F, Ohio
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Nell." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/nicknames/nell. Last checked 2026-10-15.