Nelson Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Nelson Name Meaning: A patronymic name from the medieval personal name 'nel' or 'neal','son of Neil','champion'.

The name is of medieval origin.The name was also adopted by Norseman.

Discover how your Nelson ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Nelson Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Nelson family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 1,324
Agricultural Labourer 174
House Servant 114
Cotton Weaver 110
Coal Miner 88
Labourer 84
Dress Maker 82
House Keeper 67
Carter 46
Stone Mason 46
Servant 45
Tailor 44
Blacksmith 41
General Servant 38
Farm Servant 37
Laundress 29
Cotton Winder 28
Wife Of Above 27
Joiner 27
Shoe Maker 23
Domestic Servant 23
House Maid 23
Cook 22
Cotton Spinner 20
Charwoman 19

Nelson Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Nelson 100% 86,357
2 Nilson 83% 4,551
3 Neilson 86% 3,894
4 Nielsen 71% 734
5 Nielson 86% 597
6 Nalson 83% 369
7 Nilsen 67% 198
8 Nealson 86% 152
9 Nolson 83% 141
10 Nellson 86% 119
11 Nulson 83% 109

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The surname Nelson is the most popular version of all its varients

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