Nelson ranks #839 with 140 male registrations. The name is an English patronymic surname ("son of Neil") and on a pet license carries multiple distinct cultural anchors that pull from different generational audiences.
The triple-anchor name
Nelson lands on pet licenses through three primary cultural channels. Older households associate it with Admiral Horatio Nelson (the British naval hero of Trafalgar) or with country singer Willie Nelson. Middle-aged households associate it with Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid leader and statesman. Younger households associate it primarily with Nelson Muntz, the Simpsons bully whose "ha-ha" laugh became permanent pop-culture vocabulary. Each channel pulls a different demographic and lends a different register.
Sound and breed lean
Two syllables, front-stressed (NEL-son), with a soft N opening and a sibilant tail. The name calls clearly outdoors and tolerates training corrections without sounding harsh. Nelson lands across breed types but appears notably on medium-to-large dogs with steady temperaments: labrador mixes, beagles, basset hounds, and English bulldogs whose owners wanted a dignified surname-style name. See English bulldog names for the cluster.
The counter-reading
The honest concern is the multi-reference baggage: people will assume different sources depending on their age and cultural register, and the household has limited control over which one lands. The human Nelson page shows steady mid-tier SSA presence. If the goal is the surname-feel without the multi-anchor noise, Wilson or Jackson sit nearby.