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

Nichols, 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 Nichols surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nichols in America

Nichols is the 189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nichols surname appeared 145,584 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 49 people would have the surname Nichols.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nichols 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 Nichols

The surname Nichols is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the medieval English personal name "Nicholas," which was ultimately derived from the Greek name "Nikolaos," meaning "victor of the people."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Nichols can be found in various medieval records and documents from the 13th century onwards. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard Nichol, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1212.

The name Nichols is closely associated with several place names in England, such as Nicholshayes in Devon and Nicholsfield in Lincolnshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Nichols who owned or resided in those areas.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may refer to individuals with the name Nichols or its variants, such as Nicol and Nichol.

One notable bearer of the surname Nichols was Sir Edward Nichols (1555-1616), an English soldier and politician who served as Lieutenant of the Tower of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent figure was John Nichols (1745-1826), an English printer, author, and antiquarian who published numerous works on English history and literature. He is best known for his "Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica," a collection of topographical works on various counties in England.

In the literary world, Beverley Nichols (1898-1983) was a renowned English author, playwright, and composer. He was known for his witty and humorous novels, as well as his works on gardening and travel.

The American writer and journalist Anne Nichols (1891-1966) achieved fame as the author of the hit Broadway play "Abie's Irish Rose," which had a record-breaking run of over 2,500 performances in the 1920s.

In the field of science, Thomas Nichols (1815-1901) was a distinguished English mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the study of differential equations and served as the Regius Professor of Mathematics at the University of Glasgow.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the surname Nichols throughout history, showcasing the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nichols

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!