Nelson Shin
There are approximately 4 people named Nelson Shin living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 85,688,585 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Nelson with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Shin. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
4
1 in 85,688,585
Named Nelson
52K
Alive today
Named Shin
26K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 52K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1959
Average age: 47
Top Census group: Hispanic or Latino (56.5%)
Estimated bearers: 26K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,517
Per 100K: 7.68
Top ancestry: Asian/Pacific Islander (94.0%)
First name trend
Nelson: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Nelson. The peak year was 1959 with 1,083 births. The average person named Nelson today is 47 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nelson
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Nelson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is Hispanic or Latino at 56.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nelson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Nelson at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Hispanic or Latino56.5% · 44,247
- White26.1% · 20,451
- Black or African American8.4% · 6,574
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.8% · 5,307
- Two or more races1.2% · 969
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 703
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Shin surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Shin, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Shin described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Shin at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.0% · 21,576
- White2.5% · 585
- Two or more races2.4% · 545
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 142
- Black or African American0.5% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Nelson has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0152% of the US population, based on 52,062 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Nelson right now.
The surname Shin appears at a rate of 7.68 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0077%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 4 people with the full name Nelson Shin. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Nelson
FAQ
Nelson Shin: questions and answers
How many people are named Nelson Shin?
We estimate approximately 4 people in the United States share the full name Nelson Shin. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0152%) with the surname frequency (7.68 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Nelson Shin?
We classify Nelson Shin as "Very Rare". About 1 in 85,688,585 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Nelson a male or female name?
Nelson is predominantly male. Out of 79,829 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Nelson 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 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are called Nelson Shin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.