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
School 1,527
Private Means 136
General Labourer 115
Cotton Weaver 114
Coal Miner Hewer 102
Farmer 98
Farm Labourer 85
General Servant (domestic) 84
Labourer 81
Weaver 62
None 60
Dressmaker 58
At Home 56
Scholar 51
Domestic Servant 49
Dock Labourer 49
House Painter 49
At School 47
Clerk 46
Housekeeper 44
Joiner 41
Assisting In Business 38
General Servant Domestic 37
Carter 35
House Keeper 34

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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