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

Nicholas, 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 Nicholas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicholas in America

Nicholas is the 1258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicholas surname appeared 27,922 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Nicholas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicholas 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 Nicholas

The surname NICHOLAS has its origins in ancient Greece, derived from the Greek name "Nikolaos" which means "victory of the people". It first emerged as a surname in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

The surname NICHOLAS can be traced back to areas of Normandy in northern France, where it was likely adopted as a surname by individuals who had been given the personal name Nikolaos. It then spread to England with the Norman invaders in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname NICHOLAS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry lists a landowner named "Nicholaus" in Oxfordshire.

In the 12th century, the surname NICHOLAS appeared in various medieval records across England, such as the Pipe Rolls of 1166 which mention a "Nicholaus de Winton" in Hampshire.

The surname NICHOLAS has seen various spellings over the centuries, including Nicholls, Nichols, and Nicol, likely due to regional variations and phonetic translations.

Notable historical figures with the surname NICHOLAS include:

1. Sir Edward Nicholas (1593-1669), a prominent English statesman who served as Secretary of State under King Charles I and Charles II.

2. John Nicholas (1610-1688), an English mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.

3. Thomas Nicholas (1608-1672), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

4. William Nicholas (1497-1551), a Welsh clergyman and scholar who played a key role in the Protestant Reformation in Wales.

5. George Nicholas (1754-1799), a prominent American jurist and statesman from Virginia, who served as a delegate to the Virginia Convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution.

The surname NICHOLAS has been widely distributed across various regions and communities, reflecting its long history and diverse origins dating back to medieval times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicholas

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

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 Nicholas 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 Nicholas 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 Nicholas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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