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
Cotton Weaver 185
Living On Own Means 176
General Labourer 175
Farmer 107
General Servant Domestic 105
Dress Maker 100
Scholar 75
Coal Miner Hewer 57
Domestic Servant 50
Cook Domestic 49
Tailor 48
Cotton Spinner 47
Dock Labourer 46
Agricultural Labourer 46
Servant Domestic 35
Charwoman 34
Tailoress 30
Carpenter 27
Coal Miner 27
Stone Mason 27
Dressmaker 25
Railway Porter 25
House Keeper 24
Cotton Winder 24
Joiner Carpenter 24

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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