Nielsen (Danish pronunciation: [ˈne̝lsn̩]) is a Danish patronymic surname, literally meaning son of Niels, Niels being the Danish version of the Greek male given name Νικόλαος, Nikolaos (cf.
It is the most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 4% of the population,[1] and is also in use in the Faroe Islands.
It is also used in Norway, although the forms Nelsen and Nilsen are more common.
The frequent occurrence of Nielsen as a surname outside Denmark is due to emigration.
[3] Immigrants to English-speaking countries sometimes changed the spelling to Neilsen, Neilson, Nelsen, Nelson, or Nielson.