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

Nicklaus, 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 Nicklaus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicklaus in America

Nicklaus is the 29198th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicklaus surname appeared 811 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nicklaus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicklaus 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 Nicklaus

The surname NICKLAUS originated in Germany, specifically in the south-western region of Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. The name is derived from the German personal name Nikolaus, which in turn comes from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NICKLAUS can be found in the Codex Hirsaugiensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of Hirsau, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg. The name appears in its various spellings, such as Nicklaus, Nicklaws, and Niclas.

In the 14th century, the name NICKLAUS was relatively widespread in the region around the city of Stuttgart. Historical records from that time, such as tax rolls and guild registers, mention several individuals with this surname, including Hans Nicklaus, a baker who lived in Stuttgart in the late 1300s.

The name NICKLAUS gained further prominence in the 15th century, when it was borne by notable figures like Kunz Nicklaus, a weaver and guild master in the city of Esslingen am Neckar, who lived from around 1420 to 1483.

In the 16th century, the surname NICKLAUS was associated with the town of Vaihingen an der Enz, located in the modern-day district of Ludwigsburg. One of the earliest known bearers of the name from this area was Jerg Nicklaus, a farmer who was born around 1540.

Over the centuries, the NICKLAUS surname has been connected to several notable individuals. One of the most famous bearers of this name is Jack Nicklaus, the legendary American professional golfer, born in 1940. Known as the "Golden Bear," he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, having won a record 18 major championships.

Other notable individuals with the surname NICKLAUS include Johann Nicklaus (1749-1833), a German composer and organist; Johann Konrad Nicklaus (1735-1784), a Swiss painter and engraver; and Georg Nicklaus (1828-1905), a German-American brewer and industrialist who founded the Nicklaus Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicklaus

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

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

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

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