Neilson is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Neil". The prefix Neil- is of Gaelic origin, a genitive of 'Niall', possibly meaning "Champion" or "Cloud". Neilson, as a surname, is common in English language-speaking countries, but less common as a given name. It can be an anglicisation of MacNeil (Gaelic: MacNeill) or the Scandinavian name, Nielsen.
People with the name Neilson or its variant spellings include:
Given name
- Neilson Faria (born 1983), Brazilian Manager with his sleeves unfolded
- Neilson Hubbard (born 1972), American singer-songwriter, musician and producer.
Surname
- Adelaide Neilson (1847–1880), British actress
- Alan Neilson (born 1972), German footballer
- Alex Neilson, British musician
- Anthony Neilson, British playwright
- Bill Neilson (1925–1989), Australian politician
- Brendan Neilson (born 1978), New Zealand-Japanese rugby union player
- Cook Neilson (born 1943), U.S. journalist and motorcycle racer
- David Neilson (born 1949), British actor
- Donald Neilson (born 1936), British criminal
- Ed Neilson, American politician
- Francis Neilson (1867–1961), British playwright and politician
- Ian Neilson (born 1954), South African engineer and politician
- Jackie Neilson (born 1929), British footballer
- James Beaumont Neilson (1792–1865), British inventor
- James C. Neilson (1917-1994), Former mayor of Stratford, Ontario Canada
- James Neilson (director) (1909-1979), American film and television director
- Jim Neilson (born 1941), Canadian ice hockey player
- John Neilson (1776–1848), Canadian politician
- Julia Neilson (1868–1957), British actress
- Kim Neilson (born 1973), U.S. professional wrestler
- Lois Neilson (1895–1990), U.S. silent movie actress
- Melany Neilson (born 1958), U.S. novelist
- Phyllis Neilson-Terry (1892–1977), British actress
- Rob Neilson (born 1969), American sculptor
- Robbie Neilson (born 1980), British professional football player
- Roger Neilson (1934–2003), Canadian hockey coach
- Samuel Neilson (1761–1803), Irish political activist
- Sandra Neilson (born 1956), U.S. swimmer
- Scott Neilson English footballer
- Shane Neilson (born 1975), Canadian physician, author and poet
- Shaw Neilson (1872–1942), Australian poet
- Susan Bieke Neilson (1956–2006), U.S. judge
- Tommy Neilson (born 1934), British footballer
- Walter Montgomerie Neilson (1819–1889), Locomotive builder
- Willie Neilson (1873–1960), British Rugby player
- William Neilson (1844–1915), Canadian businessman
- William Allen Neilson (1869–1946), British-born U.S. educator, writer and lexicographer
See also
