Nelson vs Nels

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

Name A

Nelson

Boy name · Rank #778

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Name B

Nels

Boy name · Rank #5243

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Nelson Nels
Current Rank #778 #5243
Total Births (all years) 79,709 3,841
Peak Year 1959 1918
Peak Year Births 1,084 65
Peak Decade 1950s 1950s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Nelson Nels
1880s 849 210
1890s 920 192
1900s 1,064 111
1910s 4,731 402
1920s 6,927 398
1930s 6,473 317
1940s 7,823 349
1950s 9,198 454
1960s 8,562 343
1970s 6,847 276
1980s 7,009 264
1990s 7,164 152
2000s 5,877 119
2010s 4,270 137
2020s 1,995 117

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Nelson Nels
2014 409 21
2015 426 14
2016 431 15
2017 411 16
2018 374 11
2019 407 13
2020 388 16
2021 358 23
2022 315 19
2023 311 19
2024 323 18
2025 300 22

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, 1880–2025.

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