Boy · English surname
Nelson
Say it: NEL-sun
Meaning
From an English surname meaning 'son of Neil'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Used as a first name in Britain and the US after Admiral Horatio Nelson.
Its wave through time
Timeless: in steady use for over a century
In the United States
- 78,481 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1880, about 1 in 1,100 boys
- 387 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
Famous bearers
- Nelson Mandela, South African president
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.