2000
#534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,986
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.75
Uncommon Last name
Nicholson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, meaning "son of Nicholas" or "descendant of Nicholas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 63,650 Americans carry the last name Nicholson. That puts it at #592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,385 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nicholson 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 Nicholson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
64K
1 in 5,385
Census rank
#592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
56K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 55,506 bearers of the surname Nicholson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicholson, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nicholson
The surname Nicholson is of English origin, derived from the personal name Nicholas and the patronymic suffix "-son," meaning "son of Nicholas." The name Nicholas itself is derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which means "victory of the people."
Nicholson is believed to have first emerged in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham, during the 12th and 13th centuries. It is closely related to other English surnames such as Nichols, Nicholl, and Nicoll, which share the same root name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nicholson appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where a certain Willelmus Nicholson is mentioned. The name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, which lists a John Nicholson.
In the 14th century, the surname Nicholson is recorded in various parts of England, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where several individuals with this surname are listed. During this period, variations in spelling were common, with forms like Nicholsone, Nicholsoun, and Nicholeson appearing in historical records.
One notable bearer of the Nicholson surname was Sir George Nicholson (1554-1628), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King James I.
Another prominent figure was James Nicholson (1737-1804), an English chemist and author who made significant contributions to the field of mineralogy and is considered one of the founders of modern mineralogical chemistry.
In the literary world, the name Nicholson is associated with Hubert Nicholson (1865-1941), an English poet and playwright who wrote works such as "The Bride of England" and "The Cavalier."
The 20th century saw the rise of Jack Nicholson (born 1937), the renowned American actor and filmmaker who has won three Academy Awards and is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation.
Finally, it's worth mentioning Nicola Nicholson (born 1986), a British artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public artworks, such as the "Bridgegate" installation in Leeds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicholson
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicholson, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nicholson 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 Nicholson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.9% · 39,908
- Black or African American18.7% · 10,380
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,477
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,002
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 393
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 346
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nicholson
Nicholson 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
#575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,151
+2,165 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 19.71
Rank movement Down 41 places
2020
#592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,506
-2,645 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 18.57
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #534 | 55,986 | 20.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #575 | 58,151 | 19.71 | +2,165 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 41 places |
| 2020 | #592 | 55,506 | 18.57 | -2,645 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 17 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 Nicholson 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 | #575 | #592 | -3.0% |
| Count | 58,151 | 55,506 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 19.71 | 18.57 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nicholson bearers went from 58,151 to 55,506 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #575 to #592.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nicholson
FAQ
Nicholson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nicholson?
Name Census estimates that about 63,650 living Americans carry the surname Nicholson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,385 residents.
How common is Nicholson?
Nicholson ranks #592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 55,506 people with the surname Nicholson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (63,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Nicholson.
Has Nicholson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nicholson went from 58,151 recorded bearers to 55,506. That is a decrease of 2,645 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #575 to #592.
What does the Census say about the background of Nicholson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicholson, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Nicholson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (39,908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nicholson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.9%), Black (18.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Nicholson (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 Nicholson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, meaning "son of Nicholas" or "descendant of Nicholas." 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 Nicholson (18.57 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 common is the surname Nicholson?
See how many people have the surname Nicholson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.