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
Female Servant 220
Independent 202
Agricultural Labourer 172
Labourer 97
Farmer 83
Male Servant 76
Weaver 56
Cotton Weaver 55
Shoe Maker 46
Tailor 38
Ag Labourer 36
Dress Maker 34
Coal Miner 28
Independant 27
Stone Mason 26
Carpenter 26
Joiner 23
Ag Lab 19
Pauper 18
Blacksmith 17
Mason 17
Mariner 17
Gardener 16
Servant 16
Lab 16

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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