2000
#40
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 412,236
First available Census row
Per 100,000 152.81
Common Last name
Nelson
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Neil," derived from the Irish Gaelic name Niall, meaning "champion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 471,076 Americans carry the last name Nelson. That puts it at #44 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 137.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nelson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nelson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
471K
1 in 728
Census rank
#44
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
137.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
411K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 410,801 bearers of the surname Nelson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 137.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nelson
The surname Nelson is an English surname that originated in the northern counties of England. It derives from the Old English words "Nēah" meaning "near" and "tūn" meaning "settlement" or "farmstead." Thus, Nelson essentially means "near the settlement" or "near the farmstead."
The name first appeared in records in the 13th century, with early spellings including Nellesone, Nelsone, and Nelstoun. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, which mentions a John Nelsone. The name is also found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, referring to a place called Nelstonsyre.
The Nelson surname is closely associated with several place names in northern England, such as Nelson in Lancashire, which was recorded as Neluesone in the Domesday Book of 1086. Other places include Nelson in Yorkshire and Nelson in Northumberland.
One of the most famous individuals with the Nelson surname was Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), the renowned British naval officer who played a pivotal role in the Napoleonic Wars, notably at the Battle of Trafalgar. Other notable Nelsons include the American revolutionary patriot Thomas Nelson Jr. (1738-1789), who served as the Governor of Virginia, and the English writer and clergyman Robert Nelson (1656-1715), known for his influential work "A Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England."
The Nelson surname has also been associated with several other historical figures, such as John Nelson (1660-1721), an English mathematician and author, and Thomas Nelson (1782-1853), an American publisher and entrepreneur who founded the publishing company Thomas Nelson & Sons.
It's worth mentioning that the surname Nelson has been found in various parts of the world due to migration and colonial expansion, but its origins can be traced back to the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nelson
Among Census respondents with the surname Nelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nelson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nelson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 308,238
- Black or African American15.6% · 64,232
- Two or more races3.9% · 16,061
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 14,534
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4,197
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3,539
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nelson
Nelson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#43
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 424,958
+12,722 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 144.06
Rank movement Down 3 places
2020
#44
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 410,801
-14,157 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 137.44
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40 | 412,236 | 152.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43 | 424,958 | 144.06 | +12,722 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 3 places |
| 2020 | #44 | 410,801 | 137.44 | -14,157 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 1 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nelson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #43 | #44 | -2.3% |
| Count | 424,958 | 410,801 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 144.06 | 137.44 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nelson bearers went from 424,958 to 410,801 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #43 to #44.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nelson
FAQ
Nelson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nelson?
Name Census estimates that about 471,076 living Americans carry the surname Nelson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 728 residents.
How common is Nelson?
Nelson ranks #44 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 137.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 137 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 410,801 people with the surname Nelson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (471,076), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 137.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 137.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 137 of them to have the surname Nelson.
Has Nelson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nelson went from 424,958 recorded bearers to 410,801. That is a decrease of 14,157 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #43 to #44.
What does the Census say about the background of Nelson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nelson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (308,238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nelson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Black (15.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nelson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nelson mean?
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Neil," derived from the Irish Gaelic name Niall, meaning "champion." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nelson (137.44 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Nelson?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Nelson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.