Nelson is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nelson means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nelson across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nelson has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nelson is a boy name of English origin meaning “son of Neil”. A patronymic surname derived from Neil.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 80,140 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 739 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 16 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 30 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Nelson per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1959 (1,084/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (40/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2003 (5/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2011 (4/yr).
Nelson has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1959, when it ranked #508 nationally (given to 1,084 babies that year).
Neilson · Nilson · Naelson · Nielsen
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