Nelly is a popular name in several European and North American countries, including France, Germany, and the United States. It was particularly popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but has since declined in popularity.

Nelly Sachs was a German-Swedish poet and playwright who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1966 for her works depicting the Holocaust and Jewish identity.

Nelly Furtado is a Canadian singer-song writer who has won several Grammy Awards for her music.