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Worldwide Name Statistics

Nelson

Ranked #915 - 1 in 165,580 people
US

Most common in

United States

48k bearers

World total

48,315

estimated living bearers

Global rank

#915

worldwide

Country breakdown

United States48k
Worldwide
~48k
rank #915
Rarity
1 in 165,580
of people globally
Gender split
99/1
male / female %
Countries covered
1
~48k in US

About the name Nelson

There are an estimated 48,315 people named Nelson alive worldwide today. That ranks Nelson at #915 globally, with the highest concentrations in United States.

In the United States, Nelson is held by approximately 48,315 people, ranking #915 among first names. That works out to roughly 15 per 100,000 Americans (or 1 in 6,870 U.S. residents).

Historically Nelson is used overwhelmingly as a male name (99.5% male).

Nelson appears in birth records going back to 1880. Use the chart below to see how its popularity has changed across decades, and the surname section to find common pairings.

Gender distribution

Based on historical birth records, this name is used predominantly male.

Male 99.5%Female 0.5%

Nelson popularity by year

U.S. births per year for Nelson, 1880 to 2025 (source: SSA name files).

Show data table
  1. 1880: 99
  2. 1881: 90
  3. 1882: 104
  4. 1883: 79
  5. 1884: 89
  6. 1885: 83
  7. 1886: 78
  8. 1887: 62
  9. 1888: 85
  10. 1889: 80
  11. 1890: 71
  12. 1891: 86
  13. 1892: 98
  14. 1893: 72
  15. 1894: 76
  16. 1895: 108
  17. 1896: 86
  18. 1897: 104
  19. 1898: 112
  20. 1899: 107
  21. 1900: 135
  22. 1901: 97
  23. 1902: 78
  24. 1903: 93
  25. 1904: 81
  26. 1905: 126
  27. 1906: 100
  28. 1907: 129
  29. 1908: 112
  30. 1909: 113
  31. 1910: 142
  32. 1911: 180
  33. 1912: 349
  34. 1913: 362
  35. 1914: 527
  36. 1915: 611
  37. 1916: 619
  38. 1917: 610
  39. 1918: 670
  40. 1919: 682
  41. 1920: 745
  42. 1921: 712
  43. 1922: 666
  44. 1923: 704
  45. 1924: 762
  46. 1925: 738
  47. 1926: 690
  48. 1927: 686
  49. 1928: 681
  50. 1929: 596
  51. 1930: 637
  52. 1931: 613
  53. 1932: 635
  54. 1933: 578
  55. 1934: 576
  56. 1935: 584
  57. 1936: 644
  58. 1937: 661
  59. 1938: 795
  60. 1939: 801
  61. 1940: 807
  62. 1941: 796
  63. 1942: 878
  64. 1943: 800
  65. 1944: 722
  66. 1945: 696
  67. 1946: 740
  68. 1947: 814
  69. 1948: 814
  70. 1949: 787
  71. 1950: 804
  72. 1951: 802
  73. 1952: 830
  74. 1953: 1,012
  75. 1954: 952
  76. 1955: 914
  77. 1956: 920
  78. 1957: 949
  79. 1958: 954
  80. 1959: 1,084
  81. 1960: 1,021
  82. 1961: 951
  83. 1962: 938
  84. 1963: 982
  85. 1964: 826
  86. 1965: 820
  87. 1966: 732
  88. 1967: 796
  89. 1968: 772
  90. 1969: 769
  91. 1970: 768
  92. 1971: 783
  93. 1972: 632
  94. 1973: 587
  95. 1974: 686
  96. 1975: 695
  97. 1976: 738
  98. 1977: 681
  99. 1978: 685
  100. 1979: 676
  101. 1980: 690
  102. 1981: 646
  103. 1982: 664
  104. 1983: 630
  105. 1984: 660
  106. 1985: 706
  107. 1986: 723
  108. 1987: 717
  109. 1988: 767
  110. 1989: 864
  111. 1990: 936
  112. 1991: 810
  113. 1992: 809
  114. 1993: 767
  115. 1994: 728
  116. 1995: 687
  117. 1996: 621
  118. 1997: 619
  119. 1998: 615
  120. 1999: 610
  121. 2000: 602
  122. 2001: 615
  123. 2002: 619
  124. 2003: 612
  125. 2004: 580
  126. 2005: 595
  127. 2006: 605
  128. 2007: 584
  129. 2008: 551
  130. 2009: 520
  131. 2010: 447
  132. 2011: 457
  133. 2012: 466
  134. 2013: 442
  135. 2014: 409
  136. 2015: 426
  137. 2016: 431
  138. 2017: 411
  139. 2018: 374
  140. 2019: 412
  141. 2020: 393
  142. 2021: 358
  143. 2022: 320
  144. 2023: 317
  145. 2024: 323
  146. 2025: 300

Frequently asked questions

How many people are named Nelson worldwide?

There are an estimated 48,315 people named Nelson alive worldwide today, ranking #915 globally.

Is Nelson a rare name?

Worldwide that works out to about 1 in 165,580 people. In the United States there are roughly 48,315 bearers, which is 1 in 6,870 Americans.

Is Nelson a boy or girl name?

Based on historical birth records, Nelson is used 99.5% male and 0.5% female.

Where does the name Nelson come from?

Who are famous people named Nelson?

Data sources

Every figure on this page is cited. See the methodology page for the full picture.

Last updated:

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