Nelson

Did you know?

A few things about Nelson you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Nelson

Nelson Valdez

Paraguayan footballer

Choose Nelson and your child shares a first name with Nelson Valdez, a Paraguayan footballer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Nelson, like who?” Nelson Valdez's Wikipedia article is available in 44 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Nelson Valdez on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Camw, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 5,695 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Nelson, 300 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Nelson would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryNelson has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Nelsons, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1882, when it ranked #134. Today it's #824, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendNelson has slipped 154 places over the last five years and now sits at #824. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedNelson is most popular in Maryland, where it ranks #437, followed by South Carolina (#501) and New York (#513). It's in the top 1,000 in 16 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Nelson means “son of Neil”. Our records link it to English and Scandinavian roots.

About the name Nelson

Nelson is a boy name of English and Scandinavian origin meaning “son of Neil”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with N and ending in “-son”. US birth records list Nelson for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked #134 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #824, with 300 babies.

Origin:English namesScandinavian names