2000
#5,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Nickell
An occupational surname referring to a nickname or descriptive name for a person, often derived from physical characteristics.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,403 Americans carry the last name Nickell. That puts it at #5,937 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nickell 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
6.4K
1 in 53,530
Census rank
#5,937
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,584 bearers of the surname Nickell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5937th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nickell
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nickell 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 Nickell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 5,095
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 193
- Two or more races3.3% · 184
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 33
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nickell
Nickell 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
#5,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,855
+291 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#5,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,584
-271 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,714 | 5,564 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,894 | 5,855 | 1.98 | +291 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #5,937 | 5,584 | 1.87 | -271 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 43 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 Nickell 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 | #5,894 | #5,937 | -0.7% |
| Count | 5,855 | 5,584 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 1.87 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nickell bearers went from 5,855 to 5,584 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,894 to #5,937.
FAQ
Nickell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nickell?
Name Census estimates that about 6,403 living Americans carry the surname Nickell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,530 residents.
How common is Nickell?
Nickell ranks #5,937 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,584 people with the surname Nickell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,403), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Nickell.
Has Nickell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nickell went from 5,855 recorded bearers to 5,584. That is a decrease of 271 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,894 to #5,937.
What does the Census say about the background of Nickell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Nickell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (5,095 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nickell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Nickell (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 Nickell mean?
An occupational surname referring to a nickname or descriptive name for a person, often derived from physical characteristics. 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 Nickell (1.87 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 surname Nickell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.