2000
#7,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,029
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Nicks
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, meaning "victory of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,883 Americans carry the last name Nicks. That puts it at #9,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nicks 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 Nicks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,270
Census rank
#9,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,386 bearers of the surname Nicks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicks, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nicks
The surname Nicks is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Middle English nickname "Nicke," which was a diminutive form of the given name Nicholas. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nicks can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273. Here, a certain Robertus Nicke is mentioned, likely indicating an early bearer of the surname.
Throughout the centuries, the Nicks surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Nickes, Nyx, and Nykes. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping practices and the evolution of language over time.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in the records of the Parish of Kildwick in Yorkshire, where a John Nicks was mentioned in 1583. Around the same time, a Richard Nicks was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1598.
One notable bearer of the Nicks surname was Sir Robert Nicks (1612-1672), an English politician who served as a member of Parliament for Tregony in Cornwall during the 17th century. He played a role in the English Civil War and was a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause.
Another historical figure was John Nicks (1838-1923), an English cricketer who played for the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. He was a right-handed batsman and a skilled wicket-keeper.
In the realm of literature, mention should be made of William Nicks (1836-1910), an English poet and journalist who wrote under the pen name "Willian Holcombe." He published several volumes of poetry, including "Lyrics and Lays" and "Verses of a Vagrom."
Across the Atlantic, one notable bearer of the Nicks surname was Elijah Nicks (1790-1865), an American farmer and politician from Tennessee. He served as a member of the Tennessee State Senate in the 1830s.
Finally, Wilbur Nicks (1901-1977) was an American baseball player who played as an outfielder in the Negro leagues during the 1920s and 1930s. He spent several seasons with the Kansas City Monarchs and was known for his defensive skills and strong throwing arm.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicks
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicks, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nicks 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 Nicks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.9% · 2,197
- Black or African American25.8% · 875
- Two or more races4.5% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 135
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nicks
Nicks 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
#8,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,775
-254 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 1,087 places
2020
#9,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,386
-389 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 541 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,608 | 4,029 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,695 | 3,775 | 1.28 | -254 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 1,087 places |
| 2020 | #9,236 | 3,386 | 1.13 | -389 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 541 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 Nicks 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 | #8,695 | #9,236 | -6.2% |
| Count | 3,775 | 3,386 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.13 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nicks bearers went from 3,775 to 3,386 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 541 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,695 to #9,236.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nicks
FAQ
Nicks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nicks?
Name Census estimates that about 3,883 living Americans carry the surname Nicks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,270 residents.
How common is Nicks?
Nicks ranks #9,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,386 people with the surname Nicks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,883), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Nicks.
Has Nicks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nicks went from 3,775 recorded bearers to 3,386. That is a decrease of 389 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,695 to #9,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Nicks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicks, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Nicks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.9% (2,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nicks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.9%), Black (25.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Nicks (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 Nicks mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, 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 Nicks (1.13 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 Americans have the surname Nicks?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.