boy's name
Nelson
NEL-sen
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 90,987
the United States
#826
2025 births
Nelson means son of Neil, and the admiral made it a given name — it was a surname until Trafalgar, after which parents across the English-speaking world started using it as a first name outright.
- Nelson is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1959, when 1,084 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 11,051 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Nelson over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 849 |
| 1890s | 920 |
| 1900s | 1,064 |
| 1910s | 4,752 |
| 1920s | 6,980 |
| 1930s | 6,524 |
| 1940s | 7,854 |
| 1950s | 9,221 |
| 1960s | 8,607 |
| 1970s | 6,931 |
| 1980s | 7,067 |
| 1990s | 7,202 |
| 2000s | 5,883 |
| 2010s | 4,275 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,011 |
What Nelson means
Nelson means son of Neil. The Irish Niall behind it has no settled meaning — champion, passionate and cloud are all proposed and none is established.
Where Nelson comes from
Nelson is a patronymic surname, son of Neil, from the Irish Niall — a name whose own derivation is open, with champion the most commonly offered. Niall of the Nine Hostages founded the dynasty that dominated Ireland for centuries. Horatio Nelson's death at Trafalgar in 1805 turned the surname into a given name almost immediately, and Nelson Mandela was named for him by a schoolteacher, which is how a Norse-Irish patronymic became one of the most recognized names in South Africa.
Nelson in use
Nelson peaked in the United States in 1959, when 1,084 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 702nd in France on 60 births, 826th in the United States on 322 and 1447th in England and Wales on 19, across 90,987 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. France ranking it highest is not what the name's history would predict.
How popular is Nelson?
In 2025, Nelson was given to 300 babies in the United States, ranking #826 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Nelson is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Nelson
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Nelson also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nelson over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Nelson in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Nelson
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Nelson — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Nelson
What does the name Nelson mean?
Son of Neil — and Neil's own meaning is not settled.
Is Nelson named after the admiral?
As a given name, yes. It was a surname until Trafalgar in 1805 made it a first name.
Was Nelson Mandela named after him?
Yes — a schoolteacher gave him the name.
How popular is Nelson?
702nd in France, its strongest market, and 826th in the United States.
Is Nelson a girl's or a boy's name?
Nelson is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nelson?
Nelson has 2 syllables.
Is Nelson a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nelson currently ranks #702 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.