Nelson

Nelson Meaning & Origin

About Nelson
The surname Nelson is of English origin and has multiple possible meanings. It is derived from the patronymic form of the given name Neil, which itself comes from the Gaelic name Niall, meaning "champion" or "cloud." Alternatively, Nelson can also be a locational surname, derived from the Old English words "nēah" meaning "near" and "sǣ" meaning "sea," indicating someone who lived near the sea. Overall, the surname Nelson is associated with qualities such as strength, bravery, and a connection to the sea.

🌍 Origin
📏 Surname Length
💬 Number of Syllables
🔠 Starting Letter
🌟 Popularity

Popularity

Surname Popularity by Ethnicity

The surname Nelson is among the top 100 most popular surnames, indicating a significant presence in our records. Below is a detailed analysis of its distribution and trends:

  • Number of People with the name Nelson: 424,958
  • Overall Popularity: 0.16%
  • Ranking: 43
  • Frequency per 100k people: 144.06

Below is the ethnic distribution of the surname Nelson based on recent US Census records. This is a brief glimpse into the diverse backgrounds of people carrying this surname.

Ranking information for the surname Nelson is not currently available.

Pronunciation

📇 Metaphone
NLSN
🔊 Soundex
N04205
🎵 Syllabic Pronunciation
N EH1 L S AH0 N
🌐 IPA
/ˈnɛlsən/
🔊 Double Metaphone
('NLSN', '')
🈯 Cross-Lingual Phonetic
N425

Accessibility & Communication

How to write the name Nelson in Braille

Here's how to represent Nelson in Braille, each pattern of raised dots corresponds to a letter in the name.

The name Nelson in braille

How to sign the name Nelson using Sign Language

The image below shows how you can spell Nelson using American Sign Language (ASL). In sign language, each hand shape corresponds to a specific a letter of the name.

The name Nelson in sign language

Numerology