NameTides

Nelson

Nelson was the #824 boys' name in the US in 2025 (300 babies), and #1,406 in England & Wales and #859 in Canada.

Nelson as a boy’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Nelson as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020CanadaUSScotlandEngland & Wales
Nelson as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.511.521880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandCanada
2025#824 (300)#1,406 (19)#762 (3)—#859 (30)
2024#777 (323)#1,402 (19)——#802 (32)
2023#797 (311)#1,139 (25)——#630 (42)
2022#797 (315)#1,104 (25)——#695 (37)
2021#722 (358)#1,139 (24)——#695 (39)
2020#670 (388)#1,019 (27)——#761 (32)
2019#654 (407)#856 (35)——#583 (46)
2018#671 (374)#958 (30)#704 (3)—#748 (33)
2017#631 (411)#931 (33)—#710 (3)#489 (58)
2016#621 (431)#801 (40)——#601 (45)
2015#626 (426)#1,159 (23)——#690 (37)
2014#645 (409)#837 (36)#680 (3)—#531 (52)
2013#581 (442)#882 (33)—#711 (3)#535 (50)
2012#558 (466)#793 (40)#669 (3)—#550 (48)
2011#556 (457)#929 (31)#544 (4)#730 (3)#587 (43)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 1899 at #145.
  • Falling over the last five years.
  • In the US records since the data begins in 1880.

How common is it?

about 1 in 5,700 baby boys in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USBoys2025about 1 in 5,700uncommon
England & WalesBoys2025about 1 in 14,000rare
ScotlandBoys2025about 1 in 6,500uncommon
CanadaBoys2025about 1 in 5,300uncommon

Next year

On its recent trend, Nelson is likely to hold steady in the US in 2026: about 1 in 5,800 baby boys. Likely range 1 in 5,300 to 1 in 6,400.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Nelson by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: #785WIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: #999WAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 babiesMNIllinois: #1,023ILMichigan: fewer than 5 babiesMINew York: #513NYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 babiesMAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: fewer than 5 babiesIAIndiana: #949INOhio: #855OHPennsylvania: #792PANew Jersey: #766NJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #745CAUtah: fewer than 5 babiesUTColorado: fewer than 5 babiesCONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: fewer than 5 babiesMOKentucky: fewer than 5 babiesKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: #627VAMaryland: #437MDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: #720AZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: #1,040TNNorth Carolina: #1,028NCSouth Carolina: #501SCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 babiesOKLouisiana: #672LAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: #622ALGeorgia: #792GAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #1,012TXFlorida: #729FL
Nelson (boys) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Quebec2025#31215
Ontario2024#1,2178

Nelson (boys): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
NelsonCanadaBoys#85930
NelsonEngland & WalesBoys#1,40619
NelsonIrelandBoys—too few
NelsonNorthern IrelandBoys—too few
NelsonScotlandBoys#7623
NelsonUSGirls—too few
NelsonUSBoys#824300