People with the first name Nelson
78,256
About 1 in 4,235 Americans had this first name in the 2020 Census.
Measured, privacy-protected national Census count—not a total of historical baby-name records.
U.S. first-name statistics
How common is Nelson?
Nelson was the #676 most frequent first name in the 2020 Census.
National rank
#676
More common than 98.7% of listed first names
Peak year
1959
1,084 SSA-recorded births
2025 births
300
#1,690 across first names
Census frequency
1 in 4,235
Across the 2020 U.S. population
Sex distribution
Reported in the 2020 Census first-name table.
99.6% male0.4% female
Demographic distribution
Aggregated race and Hispanic-origin reporting in the 2020 Census name table.
Reading the result
Nelson across two different records
The Census count answers “how many people had this name?” using a national snapshot of living residents in 2020. The SSA series answers “when was this name popular?” using Social Security card applications associated with births.
Nelson reached its highest published annual SSA count in 1959, with 1,084 recorded births. In 2025, SSA recorded 300 babies with the name.
Names do not determine a person’s identity. Demographic percentages above describe national aggregates and should never be applied to an individual.
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