Namewise

Alfred vs Nelson

Alfred and Nelsoncompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2024, Alfred was ranked #81 and Nelson #1402 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2017, Alfred was ranked #418 and Nelson #710 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Alfred and Nelson over time

Alfred and Nelson appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Alfred held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Nelson in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Nelson reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alfred in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

How this pair is related

The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.

  • Mirrored each other

    Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Alfred rose about as far as Nelson fell — from #218 and #853 in 1996 to #81 and #1402 in 2024.

List by list

  • England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 19962024

    Alfred held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Nelson in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Alfred #76 in 2023, Nelson #589 in 1997.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Alfred #81, Nelson #1402.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alfred, Nelson
FieldAlfredNelson
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NOGB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Boys #26 (2025)England and Wales · Boys #1402 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10088/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/10060/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Alfred and Nelson both have 2 syllables.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Alfred

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #127 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #18 among boys in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #26 among boys in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Boys

Nelson

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1996

    First recorded at #853 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    England and Wales · Boys

  2. Highest recorded2003–2017

    Highest recorded position: #375 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2003 (recorded 2003–2017).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2024

    Most recently recorded at #1402 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.

    England and Wales · Boys