The name Nelson is a girl's name meaning "son of Neil".

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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.

Nelson

The name Nelson peaked for girls at #2357 in 1936. Nelson is also used for boys, ranking #825 in 2025.

The name Nelson is a boy's name of English origin meaning "son of Neil".

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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.
<br/><br/>Nelson's highest popularity was in the 1930s and forties, when it was in the Top 200.

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The name Nelson is currently ranked #825 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #136 in 1882. The name is most popular in NELSON, NELSON, and NELSON. Nelson is occasionally used for girls in 2023.

Nelly

Nels

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	—	0	0
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0

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