What nationality is Nelson?

Question:What nationality does the surname Nelson come from. I have heard it was irish, but im told i am not even irish.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What nationality does the surname Nelson come from. I have heard it was irish, but im told i am not even irish.

This is what www.ancestry.com has to say about the name,
Nelson
English and Scottish: patronymic from the medieval personal name Nel or Neal, Anglo-Scandinavian forms of the Gaelic name Niall (see Neill). This was adopted by the Scandinavians in the form Njal and was introduced into northern England and East Anglia by them, rather than being taken directly from Gaelic.
Americanized spelling of the like-sounding Scandinavian names Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson.
hope this helps.

It's english. Heres some information on it http://www.houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sId=&...

Definition: A patronymic name meaning "son of Nell," a form of the Irish name Neal which means "champion."

Surname Origin: Irish

Alternate Surname Spellings: NEILSON, NEALSON, NILSON, NILSEN, NILSSON

It's of English origin. It means Son of Neil or Nell.

Africa as in nelson mendela

swedish.

Ancestry.com gives the following places of origin for Nelson taken from New York port of entry passenger lists:

Sweden 2817
England 799
Ireland 596
Norway 557
Germany 534
Scotland 310

Since Nelson is a patronymic, it comes from both Scandinavia, Germany, and the British Isles.