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

Nicolls, 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 Nicolls surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicolls in America

Nicolls is the 49824th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicolls surname appeared 421 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 Nicolls.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicolls 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 Nicolls

The surname NICOLLS is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the personal name Nicholas. The name Nicholas is a Greek compound name, formed from 'nikē', meaning 'victory', and 'laos', meaning 'people'. It was introduced into Britain by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The surname NICOLLS is a variant spelling of the more common Nicholas or Nicholls. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire in England. Early recordings of the name include John Nichol in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1205 and Henry Nicolys in the Feet of Fines for Oxfordshire in 1268.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname NICOLLS was William Nicolls, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various manorial records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Roger Nicolson was listed in 1317.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not include any direct references to the surname NICOLLS. However, it does mention several individuals with the personal name Nicholas, which was likely the root of the surname.

A notable bearer of the NICOLLS surname was Sir Augustine Nicolls (1599-1676), an English military commander who served as the first English Governor of the colonial Province of New York from 1664 to 1668. Another prominent figure was Reverend William Nicolls (1654-1727), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Gloucester from 1714 until his death.

Other historical figures with the NICOLLS surname include John Nicolls (c. 1597-1639), an English Member of Parliament for Truro in Cornwall from 1628 to 1629, and Sir Edward Nicolls (c. 1610-1672), an English military commander who served as the Governor of Maryland from 1663 to 1666.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname NICOLLS was also found in various place names, such as Nicholls Green in Gloucestershire and Nicholshayes in Devon. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who owned or resided in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicolls

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

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

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

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