Nilson first appears in the U.S. registration record in 1982. Its popularity climbed over the following decades. In 2007, 17 babies received the name (ranked #5362). Today it sits well outside the top 1,000 (around #8497), with roughly 11 babies named Nilson each year. Nilson's usage has held roughly steady recently. In total, around 344 babies have been registered with this name since 1880.