Jeff Nelson
There are approximately 137 people named Jeff Nelson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 2,501,856 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Jeff with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Nelson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
137
1 in 2,501,856
Named Jeff
95K
Alive today
Named Nelson
494K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 95K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1961
Average age: 61
Estimated bearers: 494K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #43
Per 100K: 144.06
Top ancestry: White (77.7%)
First name trend
Jeff: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Jeff. The peak year was 1961 with 9,473 births. The average person named Jeff today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Nelson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Nelson, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 77.7%.
- White77.7%
- Black or African American16.0%
- Hispanic or Latino2.5%
- Two or more races2.0%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Jeff has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0278% of the US population, based on 95,388 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Nelson appears at a rate of 144.06 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1441%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 137 people with the full name Jeff Nelson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Jeff
Related
Other people with the surname Nelson
FAQ
Jeff Nelson: questions and answers
How many people are named Jeff Nelson?
We estimate approximately 137 people in the United States share the full name Jeff Nelson. That works out to about 1 in 2,501,856 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0278%) with the surname frequency (144.06 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Jeff Nelson?
We classify Jeff Nelson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 2,501,856 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Jeff a male or female name?
Jeff is predominantly male. Out of 120,475 total SSA registrations, 99.8% were male and 0.2% were female. See the full Jeff profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.