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

Nickels, 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 Nickels surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nickels in America

Nickels is the 6814th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nickels surname appeared 4,949 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 Nickels.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nickels 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 Nickels

The surname Nickels originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "Nickel," which means "demon" or "goblin." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a mischievous or playful personality.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nickels can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dated around 1200. The name is spelled "Nickele" in these records.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Bürgermeisterbuch (Book of Mayors) of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, where a "Hans Nickels" is mentioned as a councilman in 1387.

During the 16th century, the name Nickels can be found in various records from the region of Swabia, in present-day southwestern Germany. A notable example is Johann Nickels (1520-1587), a Lutheran pastor and reformer from the town of Biberach an der Riss.

In the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of Germany and surrounding regions. One notable individual was Johann Christoph Nickels (1629-1696), a German composer and organist from Saxony.

The 18th century saw the name Nickels appearing in various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands. A notable figure was Jan Nickels (1742-1819), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and cityscapes.

As people migrated from Europe to other parts of the world, the surname Nickels also spread to other countries. In the 19th century, for instance, there are records of individuals named Nickels in the United States and Canada.

Some other notable individuals with the surname Nickels throughout history include:

• Philipp Nickels (1876-1944), a German architect and urban planner from Berlin.
• Theodor Nickels (1888-1967), a German banker and politician from Hamburg.
• Edith Nickels (1892-1983), a British author and journalist known for her children's books.
• Ernst Nickels (1907-1986), a German footballer who played as a defender for several German clubs in the 1920s and 1930s.
• Herbert Nickels (1926-2012), an American basketball player and coach from Indiana.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nickels

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

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

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

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