Nicholl last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Nicholl

A Scottish surname referring to the son of Nicholas.

Nicholl, 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 Nicholl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicholl in America

Nicholl is the 25020th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicholl surname appeared 993 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 Nicholl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicholl 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 25020 20629 19.24%
Count 993 1,193 -18.30%
Proportion per 100k 0.34 0.44 -25.64%

The history of the last name Nicholl

The surname Nicholl originated in England and is derived from the medieval given name Nicholas, which ultimately stems from the Greek name Nikolaos meaning "victory of the people." This name was widely adopted across Europe following its spread by early Christian missionaries.

In its earliest forms, the surname appeared as Nichol, Nicol, and Nicholls in various regions of England during the late 12th century. These spelling variations likely arose due to differences in local dialects and scribes' interpretations of the name's pronunciation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1194, which mention a Radulphus Nicholaue. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also list several individuals with the surname, including Willelmus Nichol in Oxfordshire and Johannes Nicol in Cambridgeshire.

During the Middle Ages, the surname was particularly prevalent in northern England, especially in the counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham. It was also found in significant numbers in Scotland, where it may have been introduced by English settlers or derived independently from the Norman French name Nicolas.

Notable individuals with the surname Nicholl include John Nicholl (c. 1555-1639), a Welsh Renaissance scholar and translator; Sir John Nicholl (1759-1838), an English judge and Member of Parliament; and John Pringle Nichol (1804-1859), a Scottish astronomer and writer.

Other historical figures bearing this surname include Richard Nicholl (c. 1528-1572), an English politician who served as Sheriff of Buckinghamshire; John Nicholl (1790-1864), an English churchman and writer; and John Bowyer Buchanan Nichols (1785-1856), a Scottish geologist and naturalist.

The surname Nicholl has also been associated with various place names throughout the British Isles, such as Nicholsons Lonnin in Northumberland and Nicholls Green in Worcestershire, further reflecting its long-standing presence in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicholl

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

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 Nicholl was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.56% 939
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.31% 13
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.01% 10
Hispanic Origin 2.11% 21

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 Nicholl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.56% 94.22% 0.36%
Black 1.31% 2.35% -56.83%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.75% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.01% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 2.11% 1.93% 8.91%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Nicholl last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/nicholl-surname-popularity/.

"Nicholl last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/nicholl-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Nicholl last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/nicholl-surname-popularity/.

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