2000
#3,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,167
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.03
Rare Last name
Nickel
A surname derived from the German word for a demon, devil, or mischievous sprite.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,808 Americans carry the last name Nickel. That puts it at #4,479 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nickel 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.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,914
Census rank
#4,479
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,681 bearers of the surname Nickel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4479th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nickel
The surname Nickel is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "nickel" or "nückel," meaning "little nothing" or "small amount." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who was considered insignificant or of little importance.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Nickel can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heynrich Nickel, mentioned in a document from the city of Erfurt in 1292.
In the 14th century, the surname Nickel appeared in various historical records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of documents related to the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes Nickel, a merchant from Lübeck, mentioned in a 1367 document.
During the 15th century, the surname Nickel continued to spread across various German territories. One notable figure was Matthias Nickel, a clergyman and author from Nürnberg, who lived from approximately 1440 to 1508.
In the 16th century, the name Nickel gained prominence with individuals like Hans Nickel, a renowned painter from Nürnberg (1510-1582), and Martin Nickel, a German cartographer and engraver born around 1550 in Heidelberg.
As the surname spread to other parts of Europe, it also underwent variations in spelling, such as Nickell, Nickle, and Nicol. In the 17th century, the Dutch painter Hendrick Nickel (1585-1633) gained recognition for his landscape paintings.
Throughout history, the Nickel surname has been associated with notable figures in various fields, including science, literature, and politics. One prominent individual was Friedrich August Nickel (1827-1905), a German chemist and mineralogist who contributed to the study of nickel and its compounds.
Other notable bearers of the Nickel surname include Johann Christoph Nickel (1673-1735), a German composer and organist from Mühlhausen; Johann Peter Nickel (1792-1869), a German-American immigrant and author; and Wilhelm Nickel (1887-1957), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nickel
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nickel 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 Nickel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 7,130
- Two or more races3.0% · 228
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 198
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 60
- Black or African American0.4% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nickel
Nickel 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
#4,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,292
+125 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 300 places
2020
#4,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,681
-611 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,991 | 8,167 | 3.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,291 | 8,292 | 2.81 | +125 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 300 places |
| 2020 | #4,479 | 7,681 | 2.57 | -611 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 188 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 Nickel 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 | #4,291 | #4,479 | -4.4% |
| Count | 8,292 | 7,681 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.81 | 2.57 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nickel bearers went from 8,292 to 7,681 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,291 to #4,479.
FAQ
Nickel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nickel?
Name Census estimates that about 8,808 living Americans carry the surname Nickel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,914 residents.
How common is Nickel?
Nickel ranks #4,479 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,681 people with the surname Nickel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Nickel.
Has Nickel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nickel went from 8,292 recorded bearers to 7,681. That is a decrease of 611 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,291 to #4,479.
What does the Census say about the background of Nickel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Nickel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (7,130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nickel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Nickel (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 Nickel mean?
A surname derived from the German word for a demon, devil, or mischievous sprite. 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 Nickel (2.57 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 many Americans have the surname Nickel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.