The Nelis surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 374 people carried this name — #54,990 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 769,200 people counted. That is down 8% from 406 in 2000.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 779 people named Nelis live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in East Flanders.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 5 births for the Nelis name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Londonderry and Mayo.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 52 people named Nelis.
16 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Ardennes.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
Who carried it
People named Nelis,
with a public archive behind them.
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Hubert Nelis 1877–1938 · historian
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Heinrich-Josef Nelis 1894–1945 · Catholic priest
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Joseph Nelis 1917–1994 · association football player
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Paul Nelis 1924–2009 · architect
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Endel Nelis 1925–1993 · fencer
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Ilme Nelis 1926–2011 · sports pedagogue
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Nelis.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Nelis is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.