What is the origin of the phrase nervous nellie?

Answer 1

Nellie was never discovered. People have said that the name Nellie was added after negative for the use of alliteration.

But other sayings like Chatty Cathy, do originate from something. Chatty Cathy, has the name Cathy because the first talking dolls name was Cathy. With a string attached to her back to pull to hear her speak, she was named "Chatty Cathy". Researchers are still looking for who or what Nellie was, but as right now, the answer is there isn't a origination.

Answer 2

Ever heard the phrase, "Whoa, Nellie"? Nell, or Nellie, was an late 19th to early 20th century nickname for a female horse. It was particularly applied to one hitched to a wagon or buggy, probably because those mares were either the only one owned by the household or were the horse most tamed for the harness. Remember, this was the world before and on the cusp of the automobile. A horse was very important for transportation. Being close to the family, much like a pet, the horse would tend to be called by a name; a common name for a mare was Nell, or at least it was common enough that if you referred to a mare, you might use the term Nell. Horses can be jumpy or anxious in novel or quickly changing situations, a characteristic of the crowding of small towns and cities during this era. The horse could always be surprised or frightened by something around the next corner, or the ever changing activity around them. Hence the term Nervous Nellie came to be applied to a horse when it became jumpy in these situations.

Answer 3

In the early 20th century, Nellie was a nickname for a female horse. A skittish horse was known as a nervous one, hence, nervous Nellie.