Find out how popular the last name McNickles is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McNickles.

McNickles, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McNickles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNickles in America

McNickles is the 125282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNickles surname appeared 137 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McNickles.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNickles to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McNickles

The surname McNickles has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Nicail" or "Nigel," a personal name that was popular among the Normans and Anglo-Saxons. This suggests that the name may have originated from a Scottish individual with Norman or Anglo-Saxon ancestry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls that documented Scottish landowners who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacNikel" in these rolls, indicating its presence in Scotland during the late 13th century.

The McNickles surname is also linked to several Scottish place names, such as the village of Nickleston in Ayrshire and the lands of Nickelside in Lanarkshire. These locations may have been associated with early bearers of the name, who likely took their surnames from the areas they inhabited or were landowners of.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the McNickles name was John McNickles, a Scottish clergyman and author born in Aberdeen in 1520. He was known for his work "A Treatise on Christian Morality," which was published in 1567 and gained recognition among scholars of the time.

During the 17th century, the name appears in records relating to the Scottish Covenanters, a movement that sought to protect Presbyterian church governance in Scotland. One such individual was Robert McNickles, who was born in Dumfries in 1635 and was imprisoned for his involvement in the Covenanter uprisings against the English crown.

Another notable figure from this period was William McNickles, a Scottish merchant and trader who lived in the late 17th century. He was involved in the lucrative trade between Scotland and the Netherlands, and his name is recorded in various business documents and shipping logs from that time.

In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the McNickles name was Alexander McNickles, a Scottish artist and painter born in Edinburgh in 1820. He was known for his landscape paintings that depicted the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and was a member of the Royal Scottish Academy.

Throughout its history, the McNickles surname has been associated with various Scottish regions, including Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Dumfriesshire, and the city of Aberdeen. While the name has seen variations in spelling over the centuries, such as MacNikel and McNicoll, its origins can be traced back to the late medieval period in Scotland, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage and connections to Norman and Anglo-Saxon influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNickles

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McNickles.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McNickles was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McNickles has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McNickles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McNickles, please contact us.

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