🏛️ U.S. Census Surname Profile

How Many People Have the Last Name Nelson?

Official Demographic Finding

~424,958 People

In official U.S. Decennial Census returns, Nelson ranks as the #43 most common surname nationwide, representing approximately 144.06 people per 100,000 Americans.

Surname Snapshot

National Rank

#43

Total Bearers

~424,958

Frequency / 100k

144.06

Etymology / Origin

Scandinavian / English (Patronymic: Son of Nell/Neil)

Explore Other Common Surnames

Smith (Rank #1)Johnson (Rank #2)Williams (Rank #3)Brown (Rank #4)Jones (Rank #5)Garcia (Rank #6)

U.S. Census Surname Data Provenance

Frequently Occurring Surnames in the United StatesOfficial Link ↗

U.S. Census Bureau Population Division · Decennial Census returns with 100+ occurrences

Data Pipeline Version: 2026.08.14Methodology Version: 1.0.0Read full methodology →

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