2000
#9,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Nick
A shortened form of various Greek surnames beginning with the prefix "Ni-," meaning "son of" or "descendant of."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,129 Americans carry the last name Nick. That puts it at #8,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nick 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 Nick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,011
Census rank
#8,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,601 bearers of the surname Nick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nick, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (10.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nick
The surname NICK has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Middle English word "nik," which means "nickname" or "to give a nickname." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to someone who was known by a particular nickname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname NICK can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a person named Richard Nic is mentioned. The name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a William Nik is listed.
In the 13th century, the name NICK was predominantly found in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire, suggesting that these areas were where the name first took root. Variants of the spelling included Nik, Nikke, and Nycke.
A notable early bearer of the surname was John Nick, who was born in Abingdon, Berkshire, around 1320. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town.
In the 14th century, the surname NICK began to appear in other parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. During this period, the name was sometimes associated with place names, such as Nickby or Nicktown, though the exact origins of these places are unclear.
In the 15th century, a branch of the NICK family settled in Huntingdonshire, where they became landowners and prominent members of the local community. One notable figure from this line was Robert Nick, who was born in 1472 and served as the High Sheriff of Huntingdonshire in 1505.
Another notable bearer of the surname was William Nick, who was born in Oxfordshire in 1587. He was a scholar and translator, best known for his English translation of Machiavelli's "The Prince" in 1640.
In the 17th century, the NICK surname continued to spread across England, with families established in counties such as Warwickshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Nick, who was born in Warwickshire in 1635 and became a successful merchant and landowner.
As the surname NICK grew more widespread, it also began to appear in various records and documents, such as parish registers, tax rolls, and court records. This has provided valuable information for tracing the history and migration patterns of families with this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nick
Among Census respondents with the surname Nick, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (10.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nick 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 Nick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 2,267
- Black or African American12.3% · 443
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 362
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.7% · 243
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.1% · 184
- Two or more races2.8% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nick
Nick 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
#9,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,590
+454 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 412 places
2020
#8,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,601
+11 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,512 | 3,136 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,100 | 3,590 | 1.22 | +454 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 412 places |
| 2020 | #8,743 | 3,601 | 1.20 | +11 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 357 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 Nick 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 | #9,100 | #8,743 | 3.9% |
| Count | 3,590 | 3,601 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.20 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nick bearers went from 3,590 to 3,601 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 357 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,100 to #8,743.
FAQ
Nick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nick?
Name Census estimates that about 4,129 living Americans carry the surname Nick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,011 residents.
How common is Nick?
Nick ranks #8,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,601 people with the surname Nick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nick.
Has Nick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nick went from 3,590 recorded bearers to 3,601. That is an increase of 11 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,100 to #8,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Nick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nick, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (10.1%). 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 Nick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (2,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (12.3%), Hispanic (10.1%). 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 Nick (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 Nick mean?
A shortened form of various Greek surnames beginning with the prefix "Ni-," meaning "son of" or "descendant of." 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 Nick (1.20 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 have the last name Nick?
See how many people are called Nick on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.