Meaning of the nameNélson
- Male
- English origin
- Nél-son
Nélson is a male name of English origin, coming from a surname that means 'son of Neil'.
- People (2022)
- 161,474
- Rank in Brazil
- #207
- Median age
- 59 years
- 2010 Census
- 200,581
- people
Nélson in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Nélson, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1960s (40,539 people).
423 women 161,051 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Nélson is most common
States with the highest share of people named Nélson in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Paraná 0.153%
- Rio Grande do Sul 0.134%
- Santa Catarina 0.131%
- Mato Grosso do Sul 0.124%
- São Paulo 0.113%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 50,042 | 0.113% |
| Paraná | 17,556 | 0.153% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 14,546 | 0.134% |
| Minas Gerais | 13,922 | 0.068% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 12,100 | 0.075% |
| Santa Catarina | 9,975 | 0.131% |
| Bahia | 9,331 | 0.066% |
| Pará | 4,054 | 0.050% |
| Pernambuco | 3,620 | 0.040% |
| Goiás | 3,538 | 0.050% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 3,428 | 0.124% |
| Mato Grosso | 3,075 | 0.084% |
| Espírito Santo | 2,117 | 0.055% |
| Maranhão | 2,075 | 0.031% |
| Amazonas | 1,906 | 0.048% |
| Ceará | 1,310 | 0.015% |
| Distrito Federal | 1,266 | 0.045% |
| Rondônia | 1,236 | 0.078% |
| Alagoas | 1,186 | 0.038% |
| Paraíba | 1,132 | 0.029% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 919 | 0.028% |
| Piauí | 898 | 0.028% |
| Sergipe | 667 | 0.030% |
| Tocantins | 656 | 0.043% |
| Roraima | 358 | 0.056% |
| Amapá | 320 | 0.044% |
| Acre | 241 | 0.029% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Nélson
According to Behind the Name, Nelson comes from an English surname meaning 'son of Neil'. Wiktionary records the accented form Nélson in Portuguese, equivalent to English Nelson, with the syllable division Nél-son. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil (Dictionary of Names in Use in Brazil) analyzes the formation as N + -elson. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 161,474 people named Nélson, with a median age of 59. Proportionally, it is most common in Paraná.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Nelson · behindthename.com · meaning
- Wiktionary: Nélson · en.wiktionary.org · spelling
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Nelson · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · spelling
Questions about the name Nélson
What does the name Nélson mean?
Nélson means “English surname meaning 'son of Neil'”, according to Behind the Name.
How many people are named Nélson in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 161,474 people with the first name Nélson, which ranks it number 207 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1960s.
Is Nélson a boy's or a girl's name?
Nélson is a male name: in the 2022 Census, 423 women and 161,051 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Nélson?
Nélson is a name of English origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Nélson most common?
Proportionally, in Paraná: 0.153% of the state's population is named Nélson (17,556 people), according to the 2022 Census.
More names of English origin
See all- Eduardo♂Rich guard658,697 people
- Anderson♂'son of Andrew' (André), from the English surname Anderson445,547 people
- Edson♂Son of Ed391,040 people
- Ronaldo♂Counsel and power238,744 people
- Robson♂'son of Rob', short form of Robert, a Germanic name meaning 'bright…222,634 people
- Wesley♂Meadow in the west207,677 people
- Emerson♂'son of Emery', an English surname used as a given name173,209 people
- Wilson♂English surname meaning 'son of William'164,178 people
Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for Nélson with a source. See the methodology.