English 
Chinese 
Dutch 
Arabic 
Spanish 
Portuguese 
Russian 
French 
Italian 
German 
Japanese 
Continue reading with a subscription
Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.
Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.
Summary
- Nelson is not in the Bible and has no Hebrew form or meaning.
- It is an English surname meaning “son of Neil.” Neil comes from the Irish Niall, whose meaning is disputed: perhaps “hero,” “passion” or “cloud.”
- In the United States Nelson is also the Americanized form of the Scandinavian surnames Nilsson, Nilsen and Nielsen, “son of Nils,” and Nils is a form of Nicholas.
- It became a first name in honor of Admiral Horatio Nelson, killed at Trafalgar in 1805.
- Nelson Mandela, baptized a Methodist, was given the name Nelson by his teacher under the custom of giving schoolchildren “Christian” names.
- John Nelson Darby, the Thomas Nelson Bible publishing house and the abolitionist minister Isaac Nelson carry the name in church history.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Nelson,” “Neil” and “Nils,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data. https://www.behindthename.com/name/nelson
- Behind the Name surnames, “Nelson” (1 and 2) and “Nilsson.” https://surnames.behindthename.com/name/nelson
- Behind the Name, “Nicholas.” https://www.behindthename.com/name/nicholas
- Nelson Mandela Foundation, “Biography of Nelson Mandela.” https://www.nelsonmandela.org/biography
- Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (Little, Brown, 1994), chapter 1.
- “John Nelson Darby,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nelson_Darby
- “Thomas Nelson (publisher),” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Nelson_(publisher)
- Daniel Ritchie, “Antislavery Orthodoxy: Isaac Nelson and the Free Church of Scotland, c. 1843–65,” Scottish Historical Review 94 (2015): 74–99. https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/shr.2015.0240
- “Isaac Nelson,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Nelson
- Cambridge Dictionary, “Christian name.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/christian-name
- Strong’s Hebrew Concordance 1368, gibbor, Bible Hub. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1368.htm
- Scripture quotation: Acts 6:5, English Standard Version. Reference: 2 Samuel 23:8.
Leave a Reply