Nilson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Nils,” with Nils being a Scandinavian form of Nicholas.
The #3,562 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,844 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nilson is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Nils plus the Scandinavian suffix -son, meaning “son of.” Nils is a common Nordic form of Nicholas, ultimately from Greek Nikolaos, meaning roughly “victory of the people.” In this sense, Nilson originally identified someone as the son or descendant of a man named Nils.
History
The surname is most at home in Scandinavia, especially Sweden and Norway, where patronymic naming was long common. It also appears in English-speaking countries, often brought by Scandinavian immigrants or as a simplified spelling of similar names. The spelling Nilson is less common than Nilsson in Sweden, but both are found.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Nils is a Nordic form of Nicholas, Nilson is part of a very large family of related surnames across Europe, including Nielsen and Nilsson.