Nelson

Meaning: Son of Neil
Origin: English surname

Nicknames: Nellie, Nel

Boy's name · #825 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Nelson — on the books since 1880, #825 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 80,000 boys have carried the name since. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Nelson is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 26 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Nelson ranks in other countries and regions.

#270 in Ecuador (2025) · #566 in Belgium (2025) · #666 in Sweden (2025) · #696 in France (2025) · #762 in Scotland (2025) · #859 in Canada (2025) · #958 in Switzerland (2025) · #1,142 in Italy (2024) · #1,406 in England & Wales (2025) · #3,030 in Austria (2025) · #706 in Poland (2023) · #291 in Puerto Rico (2022) and 3 more.

Famous Nelsons

Nelson Mandela — President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 (1918–2013)
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller — Vice President of the United States from 1974 to 1977 (1908–1979)
Nelson Piquet — Brazilian racing driver (born 1952)
Nélson Semedo — Portuguese footballer (born 1993)
Nelson Piquet Jr. — Brazilian racing driver (born 1985)
Nelson Algren — American novelist, short story writer (1909–1981)
Nelson Valdez — Paraguayan footballer (born 1983)
Nélson Oliveira — Portuguese footballer (born 1991)
Nelson Goodman — American philosopher (1906–1998)
Nelson Évora — Portuguese triple jumper (born 1984)

As a surname

It is also an American family name — about 425,000 people carried it as a surname in the 2010 census.

Horatio Nelson — British admiral (1758–1805)
Willie Nelson — American country musician (born 1933)
Ricky Nelson — American musician and actor (1940–1985)

In stories & tradition

Nelson Muntz — Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise
Nelson Van Alden — Boardwalk Empire (TV series)
Nelson Lee — Fictional detective

What Nelsons become

Among 1,304 notable people named Nelson:

Sports figures appear 1.56× more often than among typical names — e.g. Nelson Piquet, Brazilian racing driver (born 1952).

Similar names: Byron · Nestor · Alonzo · Wilson · Jefferson · Ramon

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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