- 316
- people in the U.S. have this name Get contact details for people named Nelson Williams
Meaning & Origins
Transferred use of the surname, which originated in the Middle Ages as either a patronymic from Neil or a metronymic from Nell. Use as a given name probably began as a tribute to the British admiral Lord Nelson (1758–1805), the victor of the Battle of Trafalgar; see also Horatio. It is, however, now much more common in the United States than in Britain, its popularity there in the 1930s and 40s no doubt having been influenced by the American film actor and singer Nelson Eddy (1901–67). Nowadays the name is universally associated with the South African statesman Nelson Mandela (b. 1918).
| 594th in the U.S. for 2011 |
English (also very common in Wales): patronymic from William.
| 3rd in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Nelsen, Nelsene, Nelsine, Nelsin, Nelsena, Nelsina, Nelsenia, Nelsonya, Nelsonia, Nelsom
Willis, Williamson, William, Wills, Willard, Willoughby, Willingham, Willey, Willett, Will
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map
