2000
#1,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.87
Uncommon Last name
Nicholas
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, meaning "victory of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,938 Americans carry the last name Nicholas. That puts it at #1,378 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nicholas surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nicholas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,844
Census rank
#1,378
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,235 bearers of the surname Nicholas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1378th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicholas, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicholas
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicholas, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Nicholas bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nicholas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.8% · 17,351
- Black or African American18.7% · 4,719
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 1,312
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,104
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 411
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 338
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nicholas
Nicholas appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,922
+1,294 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 9.47
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#1,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,235
-2,687 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 8.44
Rank movement Down 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,205 | 26,628 | 9.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,258 | 27,922 | 9.47 | +1,294 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #1,378 | 25,235 | 8.44 | -2,687 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 120 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nicholas surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,258 | #1,378 | -9.5% |
| Count | 27,922 | 25,235 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 9.47 | 8.44 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nicholas bearers went from 27,922 to 25,235 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,258 to #1,378.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nicholas
FAQ
Nicholas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nicholas?
Name Census estimates that about 28,938 living Americans carry the surname Nicholas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,844 residents.
How common is Nicholas?
Nicholas ranks #1,378 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,235 people with the surname Nicholas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,938), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Nicholas.
Has Nicholas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nicholas went from 27,922 recorded bearers to 25,235. That is a decrease of 2,687 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,258 to #1,378.
What does the Census say about the background of Nicholas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicholas, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nicholas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (17,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nicholas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.8%), Black (18.7%), Hispanic (5.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nicholas (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nicholas mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, meaning "victory of the people." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nicholas (8.44 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Nicholas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Nicholas is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.