Nealson Surname History

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

In ancient Scotland, the first people to use Nealson as a surname were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name someone who lived in Ayrshire. The Nealson family name is also a Scottish patronymic name created from the personal name Neill. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Néill meaning "descendant, or son of Niall."

Early Origins of the Nealson family

The surname Nealson was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Nealson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nealson research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1474 and 1654 are included under the topic Early Nealson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nealson Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Nealson has been spelled Neilson, Nielson, Nilson, Nylson and others.

Early Notables of the Nealson family

More information is included under the topic Early Nealson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nealson family to Ireland

Some of the Nealson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nealson migration to Canada +

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:

Nealson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Neals Nealson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Contemporary Notables of the name Nealson (post 1700) +

Otto Nealson, American politician, Candidate for Iowa State Senate 29th District, 1982 1

Citations +

The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html