Nelson
Boy nameNelson has been given to 80,140 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1959 and currently ranks #825 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈnɛlsən/
From Middle English Neil +‎ -son and Nell +‎ -son. * In the United States, also an Anglicisation of North Germanic (Scandinavian) surnames such as Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson, equivalent to "son of Nicholas".
Origin: surnames
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
80,140
Peak year
1959 (1,084 babies)
Rank in 2025
#825 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -30%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Nelson
Nelson Mandela
President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist (1918–2013)
Nelson Rockefeller
Vice President of the United States from 1974 to 1977
Nelson Piquet
Brazilian racing driver (born 1952)
Nelson Piquet Jr.
Brazilian racing driver (born 1985)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Nelson.
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