2000
#14,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Nickson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, meaning "son of Nick" or "son of Nicholas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,251 Americans carry the last name Nickson. That puts it at #14,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,268 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nickson 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 Nickson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 152,268
Census rank
#14,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,963 bearers of the surname Nickson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nickson
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nickson 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 Nickson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.7% · 1,250
- White27.1% · 532
- Two or more races5.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nickson
Nickson 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
#13,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,285
+474 bearers (+26.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 1,632 places
2020
#14,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,963
-322 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,237 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,976 | 1,811 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,344 | 2,285 | 0.77 | +474 bearers (+26.2%) | Up 1,632 places |
| 2020 | #14,581 | 1,963 | 0.66 | -322 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 1,237 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 Nickson 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 | #13,344 | #14,581 | -9.3% |
| Count | 2,285 | 1,963 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.66 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nickson bearers went from 2,285 to 1,963 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 1,237 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,344 to #14,581.
FAQ
Nickson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nickson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,251 living Americans carry the surname Nickson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,268 residents.
How common is Nickson?
Nickson ranks #14,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,963 people with the surname Nickson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Nickson.
Has Nickson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nickson went from 2,285 recorded bearers to 1,963. That is a decrease of 322 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,344 to #14,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Nickson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nickson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (1,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nickson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.7%), White (27.1%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Nickson (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 Nickson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Nicholas, meaning "son of Nick" or "son of Nicholas." 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 Nickson (0.66 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 have the last name Nickson?
Find out how many people are called Nickson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.