2000
#7,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Nickles
A variant of the surname Nicholas, derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,398 Americans carry the last name Nickles. That puts it at #8,272 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nickles 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nickles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,934
Census rank
#8,272
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,835 bearers of the surname Nickles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8272nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nickles
The surname Nickles originates from England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "niccol," which was a diminutive form of the name Nicholas. This name was brought to England by the Normans after the conquest in 1066.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, there are several entries of individuals with the name Nicol or Nichole, which are variations of the name Nicholas. These early spellings likely evolved into the surname Nickles over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nickles can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a William Nickles. Another early mention is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, listing a John Nickles.
During the 16th century, the surname Nickles was found in various parts of England, including Essex, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire. Some notable individuals with the name include John Nickles (c. 1510-1580), a merchant from London, and Edward Nickles (1568-1634), a landowner in Gloucestershire.
In the 17th century, the name Nickles appeared in several parish records across England. For example, the baptism of Thomas Nickles was recorded in St. Andrew's Church, Hertford, in 1628. Another notable figure from this period was Richard Nickles (1637-1703), a wealthy landowner in Oxfordshire.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Nickles continued to be found in various parts of England, with several individuals bearing the name achieving prominence. One notable example is William Nickles (1745-1812), a member of the British Parliament who represented the borough of Maldon in Essex.
As the Nickles family spread across England over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, including Nickels, Nickolls, and Nicholls. However, the original spelling of Nickles remained prevalent in certain regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nickles
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nickles 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 Nickles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 2,957
- Black or African American12.2% · 466
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 196
- Two or more races4.3% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nickles
Nickles 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
#7,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,634
+703 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Up 594 places
2020
#8,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,835
-799 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 1,067 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,799 | 3,931 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,205 | 4,634 | 1.57 | +703 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 594 places |
| 2020 | #8,272 | 3,835 | 1.28 | -799 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 1,067 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 Nickles 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 | #7,205 | #8,272 | -14.8% |
| Count | 4,634 | 3,835 | -17.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.28 | -18.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nickles bearers went from 4,634 to 3,835 (-17.2% change). The surname moved down 1,067 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,205 to #8,272.
FAQ
Nickles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nickles?
Name Census estimates that about 4,398 living Americans carry the surname Nickles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,934 residents.
How common is Nickles?
Nickles ranks #8,272 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,835 people with the surname Nickles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,398), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nickles.
Has Nickles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nickles went from 4,634 recorded bearers to 3,835. That is a decrease of 799 (-17.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,205 to #8,272.
What does the Census say about the background of Nickles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Nickles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (2,957 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nickles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (12.2%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Nickles (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 Nickles mean?
A variant of the surname Nicholas, derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people." 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 Nickles (1.28 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 are called Nickles?
Want to know how many people have the last name Nickles? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.