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

Nicklas, 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 Nicklas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicklas in America

Nicklas is the 15005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicklas surname appeared 1,968 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nicklas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicklas 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 Nicklas

The surname NICKLAS is of Germanic origin, derived from the given name Nicholas, which itself is derived from the Greek name Nikolaos. The name first emerged in areas of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages.

The earliest known recorded instance of the surname NICKLAS dates back to the late 13th century in the town of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany. An individual by the name of Nikolaus van Nicklas was mentioned in a local church record from 1287.

During the 14th century, the NICKLAS surname began to spread across other regions of northern Europe, particularly in areas with strong Dutch and German influences. Variations of the spelling, such as Nicklaus, Nicklessen, and Niklassen, can be found in historical documents from this time period.

One notable early bearer of the NICKLAS surname was Hans Nicklas, a merchant from the city of Lübeck, Germany, who was active in the late 15th century and was involved in the Hanseatic League's trade routes across the Baltic Sea.

In the 16th century, the NICKLAS surname appeared in records from the town of Emden, East Frisia (now part of modern-day Germany), where a family of that name held prominent positions in the local government and mercantile guilds.

As the surname spread across Europe, it also gained recognition in other regions, including the British Isles. John Nicklas (1510-1581), an English politician and landowner from Kent, served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was Philipp Nicklas von Avancini (1601-1686), an Austrian Jesuit priest and author who wrote several influential works on rhetoric and philosophy during the Baroque period.

In the 19th century, the NICKLAS surname gained further prominence with individuals such as Johann Evangelista Nicklas (1810-1879), a German-born painter and lithographer who worked in Paris and is known for his detailed architectural renderings.

Throughout history, the NICKLAS surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, artisans, clergymen, and intellectuals. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany and the Netherlands, the name has since spread across Europe and beyond, reflecting the mobility and cultural exchange that has shaped many surnames over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicklas

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!