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 2,012
Cotton Weaver 175
Coal Miner 165
General Labourer 162
Living On Own Means 113
Agricultural Labourer 102
Dress Maker 101
Domestic Servant 88
Farmer 86
Living On Her Own Means 82
Labourer 74
General Servant Domestic 63
Farm Servant 57
Tailor 55
General Servant 53
Clerk 53
House Keeper 47
Joiner 44
Farm Labourer 43
Blacksmith 43
General Domestic Servant 39
Laundress 36
Painter 36
Grocer 32
Carter 31

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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