2000
#12,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Nicoll
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the barony of Nicol in Kincardineshire or a diminutive of Nicholas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,453 Americans carry the last name Nicoll. That puts it at #13,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nicoll 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 Nicoll with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,729
Census rank
#13,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,139 bearers of the surname Nicoll in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicoll, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nicoll
The surname Nicoll has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Niocal," which is a variant of the more familiar "Nicol" or "Nicholas." The name ultimately traces its roots back to the Greek name "Nikolaos," meaning "victory of the people."
The earliest recorded instances of the Nicoll surname can be found in medieval Scottish charters and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is a mention of a "Roger Nicoll" in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.
The Nicoll surname is closely associated with several regions in Scotland, particularly the counties of Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Fife. It is believed that the name may have originated in one of these areas, perhaps derived from a place name that has since been lost or obscured over time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the Nicoll surname. One of the earliest was Sir John Nicoll, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the 15th century and served as the Lord of Spynie and Sheriff of Banff.
In the 16th century, Robert Nicoll (c. 1514-1596) was a prominent Scottish priest and scholar who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and was known for his efforts to promote education and literacy.
Another notable figure was William Nicoll (1655-1727), a Scottish Episcopal minister who served as the Bishop of Dunkeld and later the Bishop of Carlisle. He was a respected theologian and author, known for his defense of the Episcopal Church against the growing influence of Presbyterianism.
In the 19th century, Robert Nicoll (1814-1837) was a Scottish poet and journalist who gained recognition for his works such as "Poems" and "The Memoirs of Adam Black." Despite his short life, he left a significant literary legacy and is considered one of the most influential Scottish poets of his time.
More recently, Allardyce Nicoll (1894-1976) was a renowned Scottish literary scholar and critic. He served as a professor of English literature at various universities, including the University of London and the University of Birmingham. Nicoll was widely respected for his contributions to the study of English drama and theater history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicoll
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicoll, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nicoll 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 Nicoll surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 1,914
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 114
- Two or more races3.1% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nicoll
Nicoll 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
#12,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,503
+270 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 282 places
2020
#13,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,139
-364 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,703 | 2,233 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,421 | 2,503 | 0.85 | +270 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 282 places |
| 2020 | #13,576 | 2,139 | 0.72 | -364 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 1,155 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 Nicoll 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 | #12,421 | #13,576 | -9.3% |
| Count | 2,503 | 2,139 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.72 | -15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nicoll bearers went from 2,503 to 2,139 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 1,155 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,421 to #13,576.
FAQ
Nicoll surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nicoll?
Name Census estimates that about 2,453 living Americans carry the surname Nicoll. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,729 residents.
How common is Nicoll?
Nicoll ranks #13,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,139 people with the surname Nicoll. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Nicoll.
Has Nicoll become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nicoll went from 2,503 recorded bearers to 2,139. That is a decrease of 364 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,421 to #13,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Nicoll?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicoll, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Nicoll in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,914 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nicoll appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Nicoll (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 Nicoll mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the barony of Nicol in Kincardineshire or a diminutive 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 Nicoll (0.72 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 Nicoll?
Find out how common the surname Nicoll is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.