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Nelson

in the US

There are 307,034 people with the last name "Nelson" in the United States.

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Ranking in the US

NameRank
Nelson 35
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  1. is 31st most common King
  2. is 32nd most common Wright
  3. is 33rd most common Gonzalez
  4. is 34th most common Scott
  5. is 35th most common Nelson
  6. is 36th most common Adams
  7. is 37th most common Hill
  8. is 38th most common Baker
  9. is 39th most common Green

Similar Names and Nicknames

Nelsen, Nilsen, Nilsson, Nilson, Nelssen, Nels, Nelsson, Nelzen, Nilssen, Nelsestuen

Most Common First Names for Nelson

Robert, James, David, John, Michael, Richard, William, Mark, Charles, Thomas

Meaning & History

English and Scottish: patronymic from the medieval personal name Nel or Neal, Anglo-Scandinavian forms of the Gaelic name Niall (see Neill). This was adopted by the Scandinavians in the form Njal and was introduced into northern England and East Anglia by them, rather than being taken directly from Gaelic.

Americanized spelling of the like-sounding Scandinavian names Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson.

FOREBEARS The Nelson name was an important one in 18th-century VA, starting with Thomas ‘Scotch Tom’ Nelson, who emigrated to VA at the close of the 17th century from Penrith, Cumbria, where the Nelsons were numerous. Scotch Tom settled about 1700 at Yorktown, VA, where he became a successful merchant and landholder. His son was sheriff and a member of the VA Council, and his grandson, Thomas Nelson (1738–89), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was governor of VA.

Recent Searches for "Nelson" in the US

Since June 2009
133,426

Most Popular Search

Robert Nelson (3,130 searches)
Source: Current searches and listings for US adults on WhitePages. (nv2)

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