Nels vs Nelson

Side-by-side comparison of Nels and Nelson — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Nels

Boy name · Rank #5224

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Name B

Nelson

Boy name · Rank #778

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Nels Nelson
Current Rank #5224 #778
Total Births (all years) 3,819 79,398
Peak Year 1918 1959
Peak Year Births 65 1,083
Peak Decade 1950ss 1950ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Nels Nelson
1880ss 210 849
1890ss 192 920
1900ss 111 1,064
1910ss 402 4,731
1920ss 398 6,927
1930ss 317 6,473
1940ss 349 7,823
1950ss 454 9,199
1960ss 343 8,561
1970ss 276 6,846
1980ss 264 7,008
1990ss 152 7,163
2000ss 119 5,873
2010ss 137 4,267
2020ss 95 1,694

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Nels Nelson
2014 21 409
2015 14 426
2016 15 431
2017 16 411
2018 11 374
2019 13 406
2020 16 388
2021 23 358
2022 19 315
2023 19 311
2024 18 322

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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