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

Nickell, 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 Nickell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nickell in America

Nickell is the 5894th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nickell surname appeared 5,855 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Nickell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nickell 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 Nickell

The surname Nickell originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Yorkshire. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Nicol," a variant of the name Nicholas. This name was brought to England by the Normans after their conquest in 1066 and became a popular given name during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known records of the surname Nickell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1177. These rolls were a record of taxes paid to the royal treasury, and they mention a "Roger Nicol" as a landowner in the area. This suggests that the name was already established in Yorkshire by the late 12th century.

The surname Nickell likely originated as a patronymic surname, meaning it was initially used to identify someone as the son of a person named Nicol. Over time, it became a hereditary family name passed down through generations.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Nycolsone, Nicolson, and Nickelson, reflecting the evolution of language and local dialects. One notable example is John Nicholson, a clergyman who served as the Bishop of Dunkeld in Scotland from 1397 to 1418.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Nickell became more widespread across England and Scotland. Sir Nicholas Bacon (1510-1579), an English politician and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, was a prominent figure who bore this surname. Another notable individual was Sir Christopher Nicholson (1612-1672), an English politician and Member of Parliament.

In the 18th century, the surname Nickell began to appear in various parts of the United Kingdom, including Ireland. One example is James Nicholson (1737-1804), an Irish-born merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1799.

As the British Empire expanded, the surname Nickell also spread to other parts of the world. For instance, John Nicholson (1822-1857) was a notable British military officer who played a significant role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.

Throughout history, the surname Nickell has been associated with various occupations, including clergy, politicians, merchants, and military personnel. While the name originated in Yorkshire, it has become widely distributed across different regions and countries, reflecting the mobility and diversity of people who bear this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nickell

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

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

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

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