Neilson (name)

Neilson is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Neil". The prefix Neil- is of Irish 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:

Surname

 * Adelaide Neilson (1847–1880), British actress
 * Alan Neilson (born 1972), German footballer
 * Alex Neilson (born 1982), British musician
 * Anthony Neilson (born 1967), British playwright
 * Bill Neilson (1925–1989), Australian politician
 * Brendan Neilson (born 1978), New Zealand-Japanese rugby union player
 * Charles Neilson (1889–1916), Scottish footballer and teacher
 * Cook Neilson (born 1943), U.S. journalist and motorcycle racer
 * David Neilson (born 1949), British actor
 * Donald Neilson (1936–2011), British criminal
 * Ed Neilson, American politician
 * Francis Neilson (1867–1961), British playwright and politician
 * Harry B. Neilson (1861–1941), British illustrator
 * Ian Neilson (born 1954), South African engineer and politician
 * Jackie Neilson (1929–2012), British footballer
 * James Beaumont Neilson (1792–1865), British inventor
 * James Neilson (director) (1909–1979), American film and television director
 * Jim Neilson (1941–2020), Canadian ice hockey player
 * John Neilson (1776–1848), Canadian politician
 * Julia Neilson (1868–1957), British actress
 * Kim Nielsen (born 1973), U.S. professional wrestler
 * Lois Neilson (1895–1990), U.S. silent movie actress
 * Marjory Newbold née Neilson (1883–1926), leading Scottish socialist and communist, prominent in the Independent Labour Party and a 'Red Clydesider'
 * Melany Neilson (born 1958), U.S. novelist
 * Perlita Neilson (1933–2014), English actress
 * Phyllis Neilson-Terry (1892–1977), British actress
 * 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 (athlete) (born 1957), Canadian hammer thrower
 * Scott Neilson (footballer) (born 1987), 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 (1934–2018), British footballer
 * Walter Montgomerie Neilson (1819–1889), Locomotive builder
 * Willie Neilson (1873–1960), British Rugby player
 * William Neilson (1844–1915), Canadian businessman
 * William Allan Neilson (1869–1946), British-born U.S. educator, writer and lexicographer

Given name

 * Neilson Hubbard (born 1972), American singer-songwriter, musician and producer
 * Neilson Powless (born 1996), American road racing cyclist