By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal
footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.
Where Nelson is most popular
Boys named Nelson per 1,000 boys born in
each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.186 per 1,000.
Strongest in Maryland, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
Vs national average well below below near national above well above no data
All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Nelson born
2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes
comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.
State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any
state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.
The story of Nelson
Nelson is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #825 in 2025 with 300 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.
Since 1880, 80,140 American babies have been named Nelson. Its peak came in 1959, when 1,084 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.
The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Nelson stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.
