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

Nickson, 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 Nickson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nickson in America

Nickson is the 13344th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nickson surname appeared 2,285 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 Nickson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nickson 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 Nickson

The surname Nickson is of English origin, emerging during the medieval period in the 13th century. It is derived from the given name "Nicholas," which itself comes from the Greek name "Nikolaos," meaning "victory of the people." The name likely originated in regions where Anglo-Norman influence was strong, such as the Midlands and northern England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nickson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a man named Willelmus Nicholson is listed. This spelling variation, with the patronymic suffix "-son" added to the given name, was common during this era.

By the 14th century, the surname had evolved to its more modern spelling of "Nickson." A notable example is John Nickson, a merchant from York who is mentioned in the city's Freemen's Roll in 1358.

The Nickson name also appears in historical records related to land ownership and taxation. For instance, a Richard Nickson is documented in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1317, indicating the family's presence in the region.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Nickson surname was William Nickson, born around 1490 in Nottinghamshire. He was a member of the gentry and held lands in the village of Sutton Bonington.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Nickson, born in 1525 in Lincolnshire. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1572 for his military service during the Anglo-Spanish War.

In the 17th century, the Nickson family had established a presence in the city of London. Robert Nickson, born in 1620, was a successful merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.

During the English Civil War, Captain Thomas Nickson, born in 1635 in Derbyshire, fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He was present at the Battle of Naseby in 1645, one of the decisive engagements of the conflict.

The 18th century saw the Nickson name spread further across England and into other parts of the British Isles. One notable figure was Sir William Nickson, born in 1745 in Yorkshire, who served as the Governor of the British East India Company's settlement in Madras (now Chennai), India, from 1788 to 1794.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nickson

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

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

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

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