Nelson

“Son of Neil” — English, also Anglicized Scandinavian origin

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

Few names move less than Nelson — on the books since 1880, #825 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 80,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Nelson's short forms are Nellie and Nel.

Around the world: about 1 in 2,600 boys in Belgium (2025) · about 1 in 5,000 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 5,000 boys in France (2025).

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

Famous Nelsons

Nelson Mandela — President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist (1918–2013)
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller — Vice President of the United States from 1974 to 1977
Nelson Piquet — Brazilian racing driver (born 1952)
Nélson Semedo — Portuguese footballer (born 1993)
Nelson Piquet Jr. — Brazilian racing driver (born 1985)

In stories & tradition

Nelson Muntz — The Simpsons
Nelson Van Alden — Boardwalk Empire
Nelson Lee — character

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 · Ramon · Wilson · Alonzo · Alton

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

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