2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Niclas
An anglicized form of the Greek name 'Nikolas', meaning "victory of the people".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Niclas. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Niclas 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.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Niclas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Niclas, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Hispanic (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Niclas
The surname NICLAS has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Niklaus or Nicklaus, which is a variation of the name Nicholas. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people."
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various medieval German records and manuscripts, often spelled as Niklas, Niklaus, or Nicklaus. One notable early reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, which mentions a certain Niklaus von Torgau in the 14th century.
The name NICLAS can also be linked to several place names throughout Germany, such as Nicklasreuth and Nicklashausen, which likely originated from individuals bearing this surname who settled in those areas. Additionally, there are records of the name in other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where variations like Niclaes and Niklas were used.
Among the earliest known individuals with the surname NICLAS is Hans Niclas, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1510 to 1578. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another notable figure is Johann Niclas (1599-1663), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Dresden. His works contributed significantly to the development of German Baroque music.
In the 18th century, Johann Niclas Huber (1713-1787) was a prominent German painter and etcher known for his landscape paintings and etchings of architectural subjects.
Moving into the 19th century, Friedrich Niclas (1786-1865) was a German lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of Leipzig and played a crucial role in the city's development during the Industrial Revolution.
Lastly, Carl Niclas (1878-1945) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities during the early 20th century.
These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the surname NICLAS throughout German history, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including theology, music, art, politics, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niclas
Among Census respondents with the surname Niclas, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Hispanic (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Niclas 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 Niclas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.4% · 56
- Black or African American31.7% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 10
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Niclas
Niclas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-15 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 12,121 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 Niclas 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 | #143,149 | #155,270 | -8.5% |
| Count | 116 | 101 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Niclas bearers went from 116 to 101 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 12,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #155,270.
FAQ
Niclas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Niclas?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Niclas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Niclas?
Niclas ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Niclas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Niclas.
Has Niclas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Niclas went from 116 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Niclas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Niclas, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Hispanic (9.9%). 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 Niclas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.4% (56 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Niclas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.4%), Black (31.7%), Hispanic (9.9%). 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 Niclas (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 Niclas mean?
An anglicized form of the Greek name 'Nikolas', 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 Niclas (0.03 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 surname Niclas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.