Tim Nelson
There are approximately 90 people named Tim Nelson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 3,808,382 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Tim with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Nelson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
90
1 in 3,808,382
Named Tim
66K
Alive today
Named Nelson
471K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 66K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1960
Average age: 63
Top Census group: White (86.6%)
Estimated bearers: 471K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #44
Per 100K: 137.44
Top ancestry: White (75.0%)
First name trend
Tim: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Tim. The peak year was 1960 with 6,944 births. The average person named Tim today is 63 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tim
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Tim, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 86.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tim described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Tim at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White86.6% · 124,714
- Black or African American4.1% · 5,841
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 5,093
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3,931
- Two or more races2.4% · 3,417
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 980
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Nelson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Nelson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 75.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Nelson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Nelson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White75.0% · 308,238
- Black or African American15.6% · 64,232
- Two or more races3.9% · 16,061
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 14,534
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4,197
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3,539
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Tim has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0192% of the US population, based on 65,753 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Tim right now.
The surname Nelson appears at a rate of 137.44 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1374%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 90 people with the full name Tim Nelson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Tim
Related
Other people with the surname Nelson
FAQ
Tim Nelson: questions and answers
How many people are named Tim Nelson?
We estimate approximately 90 people in the United States share the full name Tim Nelson. That works out to about 1 in 3,808,382 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0192%) with the surname frequency (137.44 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Tim Nelson?
We classify Tim Nelson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 3,808,382 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Tim a male or female name?
Tim is predominantly male. Out of 83,515 total SSA registrations, 99.8% were male and 0.2% were female. See the full Tim profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people share the full name Tim Nelson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.