Nelson is a rather stiff and dated surname name that is sometimes used to honor distinguished South African activist Nelson Mandela, as Celine Dion did for one of her twin boys. Other notable associations are with the British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, novelist Nelson Algren and movie operetta star Nelson Eddy. It was also the given name of "Rabbit" Angstrom, protagonist of John Updike's series of novels.

Perfect name for TV Frasier's effete brother. In the 2020 film Palm Springs, Andy Samberg plays a character with the updated spelling Nyles.

Nelson on a boy is a steady, somewhat formal classic. On a girl, it's fresher, less expected, and could be shortened to Nell or Nellie.