Nielsen
Encyclopedia
Nielsen ˈnelsn, is a Danish
patronymic
surname
, literally meaning son of Niels, Niels
being the Danish version of the Greek
male given name Νικόλαος, Nikolaos (cf. Nicholas
). It is the second most common surname
in Denmark
, shared by about 5% of the population. It is also used in Norway
, although the form Nelsen and Nilsen is more common. In Sweden the parallel form is Nilsson
. Nielsen is also in use in the Faroe Islands
. The frequent occurrences of Nielsen as a surname
outside Denmark
is due to emigration
. Immigrants to English
-speaking countries often changed the spelling to Nielson
, Nelsen
, Nelson
Neilson
or Neilsen.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
, literally meaning son of Niels, Niels
Niels
Niels is a common Danish man's name, equivalent to Nicholas. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils, and the pet form is Nisse. It may refer to:In science:...
being the Danish version of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
male given name Νικόλαος, Nikolaos (cf. Nicholas
Nicholas
Nicholas or Nikolas is a male given name, derived from the Greek name Νικόλαος , a combination of the words for "victory" and "people" . The name can be understood to mean victory of the people or "power of the people"...
). It is the second most common surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, shared by about 5% of the population. It is also used in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, although the form Nelsen and Nilsen is more common. In Sweden the parallel form is Nilsson
Nilsson
Nilsson is a Swedish surname and the fourth most common surname in Sweden. The name is a patronymic meaning "Nils's son". Nils was a very common name, especially in 19th century Sweden.Some people named Nilsson:...
. Nielsen is also in use in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
. The frequent occurrences of Nielsen as a surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
outside Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
is due to emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
. Immigrants to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking countries often changed the spelling to Nielson
Nielson
Nielson is a surname. It refers to:*Claire Nielson , British television actress*Howard C. Nielson , American politician from Utah; U.S. Representative 1983–91...
, Nelsen
Nelsen
Nelsen is a Norwegian or Danish surname that may also refer to:-People with the surname Nelsen:* Ancher Nelsen , American politician* Bill Nelsen , American football player and coach* Eric Nelsen , American actor...
, Nelson
Nelson (surname)
Nelson is a family name. Within the United States, it is ranked as the 39th-most common surname of 88799 listed.It is in origin a patronymic meaning "son of Nels" or "son of Nell"...
Neilson
Neilson (name)
Neilson is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Neil". The prefix Neil- is of 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...
or Neilsen.
People
- Alice NielsenAlice NielsenAlice Nielsen was a Broadway performer and operatic soprano who had her own opera company and starred in several Victor Herbert operettas.-Background:...
(1872–1943), American singer - Allan NielsenAllan Nielsen-External links: *...
Danish football player - Anders Peter NielsenAnders Peter NielsenAnders Peter Nielsen was a Danish shooter who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century in rifle shooting...
(1867–1950), Danish shooter - Arthur NielsenArthur NielsenArthur Charles Nielsen, Sr. was an American market analyst who founded the ACNielsen company.-Background:Arthur Charles Nielsen was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was of Danish descent. Nielsen was educated at University of Wisconsin , where he received a B.S., summa cum laude in 1918...
(1897–1980), American market analyst - Asta NielsenAsta NielsenAsta Nielsen , was a Danish silent film actress who was one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1910s and one of the first international movie stars. Seventy of Nielsen's 74 films were made in Germany where she was known simply as Die Asta...
(1881–1972), Danish actress - Benny NielsenBenny NielsenBenny Leo Nielsen is a former butterfly swimmer from Denmark, who won the silver medal in the 200 m butterfly at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.-External links:* *...
(born 1966), Danish swimmer - Benny NielsenBenny Nielsen (footballer)Jørgen "Benny" Nielsen is a Danish former football player. His position on the field was usually striker, although he also could play as midfielder. Nielsen played 28 matches for Denmark, scoring 7 goals. He made his début against Scotland in a 1–0 loss....
(born 1951), Danish former footballer - Brigitte NielsenBrigitte NielsenBrigitte Nielsen is a Danish model, actress, musician and reality television personality who began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton and several years later made appearances in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV and is also known for her marriage to Sylvester Stallone...
(born 1963), Danish actress - Carl NielsenCarl NielsenCarl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
(1865–1931), Danish composer - Christopher NielsenChristopher NielsenChristopher Nielsen is a Norwegian comics artist. He is especially known for his subcultural depictions. Nielsen got his first comics printed in 1980 after entering a competition in the Norwegian anarchist magazine, Gateavisa. Only three years later he got his first album published...
(born 1963), Norwegian comics artist - Connie Nielsen (born 1965), Danish actress
- David Nielsen (born c.1977), Danish footballer
- Ebbe Nielsen (1950–2001), Danish entomologist
- Erik NielsenErik NielsenErik Hersholt Nielsen, PC, DFC, QC was a Canadian politician, and longtime Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Yukon....
(1924–2008), former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, brother of Leslie - Frans NielsenFrans NielsenFrans Nielsen is a Danish professional ice hockey player currently playing with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League . He is the first Danish citizen to play in the NHL.-Playing career:...
(born 1984), Danish Ice Hockey player - Frederik NielsenFrederik NielsenFrederik Løchte Nielsen is a professional male tennis player. Nielsen competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour, in both singles and doubles....
(born 1983), Danish tennis player - Gunnar Nielsen (athlete)Gunnar Nielsen (athlete)Niels Gunnar Nielsen was a Danish middle distance runner who equalled the world record over both 880 yards and 1500 metres. He represented the Østerbro-based club Københavns Idræts Forening throughout his career....
(1928–1985), Danish athlete. Former world record holder over 1500 metres. - Gunnar Nielsen (footballer born 1986) Faroese football player
- Gunnar Guillermo NielsenGunnar Guillermo NielsenGunnar Guillermo Nielsen is an Argentinian-Faroer football player, currently playing for Kolding FC.-Notes:...
Argentinian football player - Holger NielsenHolger NielsenHolger Louis Nielsen was a Danish fencer, shooter, and athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He is probably best known for drawing up the first modern set of rules for the game of handball.-Fencing:Nielsen's main sport was fencing, in which he competed in the sabre...
(1866–1955), Danish Olympic competitor in various sports - Holger Bech NielsenHolger Bech NielsenHolger Bech Nielsen is a Danish theoretical physicist, professor at the Niels Bohr Institute, at the University of Copenhagen, where he started studying physics in 1961....
(born 1941), Danish theoretical physicist - Inga NielsenInga NielsenInga Nielsen was a Danish soprano who had an active international opera career from 1971 to 2006. A child prodigy, Nielsen performed on American radio during the 1950s, beginning at the age of six, and also released some commercial recordings of Danish folk songs and Christmas carols as a child...
(1946–2008), Danish singer (soprano) - Jakob NielsenJakob Nielsen (usability consultant)Jakob Nielsen is a leading web usability consultant. He holds a Ph.D. in human–computer interaction from the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen.-Early life and background:...
(born 1957), Danish-American usability consultant - Jakob NielsenJakob Nielsen (mathematician)Jakob Nielsen was a Danish mathematician known for his work on automorphisms of surfaces. He was born in the village Mjels on the island of Als in North Schleswig, in modern day Denmark. His mother died when he was 3, and in 1900 he went to live with his aunt and was enrolled in the Realgymnasium...
(1890–1959), Danish mathematician - Jeppe NielsenJeppe NielsenJeppe Bøje Nielsen is a former freestyle swimmer from Denmark, who competed for his native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.-References:*...
(born 1974), Danish freestyle swimmer - Jerri NielsenJerri NielsenDr. Jerri Lin Nielsen was an American physician with extensive ER experience, who in 1998 was hired to spend a year at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, as the station's only doctor....
(1952–2009), American physician - Jimmy NielsenJimmy NielsenJimmy Nielsen is a Danish professional footballer currently playing for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer....
(born 1977), Danish footballer - Jonatan NielsenJonatan NielsenJonatan Nielsen is a is a Swedish professional ice hockey player. He currently plays for Linköpings HC of the Swedish Elitserien.-External links:...
(born 1993), Swedish professional ice hockey - Kay NielsenKay NielsenKay Rasmus Nielsen was a Danish illustrator who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration" which lasted from when Daniel Vierge and other pioneers developed printing technology to the point that drawings and paintings could be reproduced with reasonable facility...
(1886–1957), Danish "golden age" illustrator - Kai NielsenKai Nielsen (sculptor)Kai Nielsen was a Danish sculptor.-Early life and education:Kai Nielsen was born on 26 November 1882 in Svendborg, the son of Christian Nielsen, a watchmaker, and his wife Ane Marie. At 15 he became an apprentice painter but was artistically inclined and began to paint landscapes and portraits...
(1882–1924), Danish sculptor - Kai NielsenKai NielsenKai Nielsen is adjunct professor of philosophy at Concordia University in Montreal and professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Calgary. Before moving to Canada, Nielsen taught for many years at New York University . He specializes in metaphilosophy, ethics, and social and political...
(born 1926), Canadian professor of philosophy and author - Kai Peter Anthon Nielsen (1906–1988), better known as Kai EwansKai EwansKai Peter Anthon Nielsen, better known as Kai Ewans was a Danish jazz reedist.Ewans played initially as a banjoist, but switched to saxophone in 1923 when he formed the Blues Jazz Band. The group disbanded in 1924, after which Ewans joined Valdemar Eiberg's ensemble from 1924-26...
was a Danish jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician - Kurt NielsenKurt NielsenKurt Nielsen was a Danish tennis player. He was born in Copenhagen, and is the only Danish tennis player ever to have played in a men's singles final in a Grand Slam tournament....
(born 1930), Danish former tennis player - Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
(1926–2010), Canadian-born American film actor - Renata NielsenRenata NielsenRenata Pytełewska Nielsen is a Polish-born former Danish long jumper.She was born on 18. May 1966 in Otwock, Mazowieckie, Poland.She participated in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.Her personal long jump record is 6.96 meter set in 1994....
(born 1966), Danish long jumper - Sanna NielsenSanna NielsenSanna Viktoria Nielsen is a Swedish singer. She comes from Bromölla in Skåne, Southern Sweden.-Career:At the age of eleven she reached the number one spot on the Svensktoppen Charts with the song "Till en fågel". At that time, she sung with the dansband Mats Elmes. She participated in...
(born 1984), Swedish-born singer - Yngvar NielsenYngvar NielsenYngvar Nielsen was a Norwegian historian, politician, geographer and pioneer of tourism in Norway.-Background:...
(1843–1916), Norwegian historian
Business
- The Nielsen Company (after Arthur NielsenArthur NielsenArthur Charles Nielsen, Sr. was an American market analyst who founded the ACNielsen company.-Background:Arthur Charles Nielsen was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was of Danish descent. Nielsen was educated at University of Wisconsin , where he received a B.S., summa cum laude in 1918...
), a Dutch media conglomerate (formerly VNU); parent company of:- ACNielsenACNielsenACNielsen is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City. Regional headquarters for North America are located in Schaumburg, Illinois. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company.-History:...
, a marketing research firm - Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, the company that creates the Nielsen Ratings- Nielsen ratingsNielsen RatingsNielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, a rating system used to gauge televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
viewing habits in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Nielsen ratings
- Nielsen Broadcast Data SystemsNielsen Broadcast Data SystemsNielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
, a service also known as BDS that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs
- ACNielsen