2000
#3,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,410
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.86
Uncommon Last name
Nielson
Son of Niel, a Scandinavian variant of Neil, derived from the Gaelic name Niall meaning "champion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,319 Americans carry the last name Nielson. That puts it at #3,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,734 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nielson 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 Nielson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,734
Census rank
#3,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,615 bearers of the surname Nielson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nielson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nielson
The surname Nielson has its origins primarily in Scandinavia, particularly Norway and Denmark. It is a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the name of the father or an ancestor. The root of the name is "Niel" or "Nils," which is a Scandinavian form of the name Nicholas.
In the Middle Ages, it was common practice in Scandinavia to identify individuals by their father's name, using the suffix "-son" or "-sen" to indicate "son of." Thus, Nielson would have originally referred to the son of a man named Niel or Nils.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Nielson can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in Norway and Denmark, appearing in various historical records and documents from that time period. Some variations in spelling include Nielssen, Nielssen, and Nielsson.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Nielson was Niels Ebbesen Nielson, a Danish landowner and military leader who played a significant role in the Burning of the Castle of Copenhagen in 1368, an event that marked the beginning of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Another prominent individual was Niels Henrik Nielson (1808-1874), a Danish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the study of the orbits of comets and asteroids.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nielson dates back to the late 18th century, with the arrival of Norwegian and Danish immigrants. Hans Nielson, a Norwegian-born merchant and ship owner, settled in New York City in the late 1700s and played a role in the city's maritime trade.
Peter Nielson (1802-1864), a Danish-American businessman and politician, was one of the earliest settlers of Racine, Wisconsin, and served as a member of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature in the 1840s.
Another notable figure was Neils Nielson (1865-1936), a Norwegian-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Auditorium Building and the Studebaker Theater.
While the surname Nielson is more commonly found in Scandinavia and among descendants of Scandinavian immigrants, it has also been adopted by individuals of various backgrounds over time, reflecting the movement and assimilation of populations throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nielson
Among Census respondents with the surname Nielson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nielson 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 Nielson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 10,681
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 413
- Two or more races2.8% · 320
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 89
- Black or African American0.5% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nielson
Nielson 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
#3,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,511
+1,101 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 3.90
Rank movement Up 27 places
2020
#3,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,615
+104 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.89
Rank movement Up 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,164 | 10,410 | 3.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,137 | 11,511 | 3.90 | +1,101 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 27 places |
| 2020 | #3,026 | 11,615 | 3.89 | +104 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 111 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 Nielson 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 | #3,137 | #3,026 | 3.5% |
| Count | 11,511 | 11,615 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.90 | 3.89 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nielson bearers went from 11,511 to 11,615 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,137 to #3,026.
FAQ
Nielson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nielson?
Name Census estimates that about 13,319 living Americans carry the surname Nielson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,734 residents.
How common is Nielson?
Nielson ranks #3,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,615 people with the surname Nielson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Nielson.
Has Nielson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nielson went from 11,511 recorded bearers to 11,615. That is an increase of 104 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,137 to #3,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Nielson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nielson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Nielson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (10,681 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nielson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Nielson (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 Nielson mean?
Son of Niel, a Scandinavian variant of Neil, derived from the 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 Nielson (3.89 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 Americans have the surname Nielson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.