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

Nicolet, 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 Nicolet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicolet in America

Nicolet is the 44957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicolet surname appeared 477 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nicolet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicolet 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 Nicolet

The surname Nicolet originated from the area of Normandy in northern France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Norman French name "Nicole," which itself comes from the Greek name "Nikolaos," meaning "victory of the people." The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Niculet" in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript survey commissioned by William the Conqueror.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Nicolet surname was Guillaume Nicolet, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. He was granted lands in Buckinghamshire after the invasion. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a "Richard Nicolet."

The Nicolet surname later spread to other parts of France, as well as to neighboring regions such as Belgium and Switzerland. In the 13th century, a branch of the family settled in the village of Nicolet, located in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France, which may have influenced the spelling of the name.

One of the most famous bearers of the Nicolet surname was Jean Nicolet (c. 1598 - 1642), a French explorer and voyageur who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes region of North America. He is remembered for his encounter with the Ho-Chunk Nation, during which he is believed to have worn a Chinese-style robe, leading the Native Americans to refer to him as the "ever-wonderful man."

Other notable individuals with the Nicolet surname include:

1. Isidore Nicolet (1799 - 1856), a French astronomer who discovered several comets and asteroids.
2. Claude Nicolet (1612 - 1672), a French mathematician and physicist who made contributions to the study of optics and mechanics.
3. Jean-Baptiste Nicolet (1728 - 1793), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris.
4. François Nicolet (1919 - 1996), a Swiss astrophysicist known for his work on the study of planetary atmospheres.
5. Pierre Nicolet (1625 - 1701), a French Jesuit priest and missionary who worked among the Algonquin and Huron peoples in Canada.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicolet

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

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

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

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