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

Nicolson, 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 Nicolson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicolson in America

Nicolson is the 34758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicolson surname appeared 650 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 Nicolson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicolson 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 Nicolson

The surname Nicolson originated in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the given name Nicholas, which is a Greek name meaning "victory of the people." The Nicolson surname is an Anglo-Scottish habitation name that evolved from the place name Nicolson in the Scottish Borders region.

The earliest recorded example of the Nicolson surname appears in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of written instruments from the late 13th century. This document lists landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his invasion of Scotland in 1296. One of the signatories was Johannes de Nicholsone, a landowner from the Scottish Borders region.

In the 14th century, the Nicolsons were an influential family in the Scottish Borders area. They held lands in Roxburghshire and Berwickshire and were involved in various conflicts and battles during the Wars of Scottish Independence against England. One notable figure from this period was Sir Richard Nicolson, who fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in their struggle for Scottish independence.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Nicolsons continued to play a prominent role in Scottish history. In 1603, John Nicolson was appointed as the first Bishop of Galloway after the Scottish Reformation. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Nicolson, who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1649 to 1651 during the turbulent period of the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, the Nicolson surname spread beyond Scotland to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the United States and Canada. One prominent figure was William Nicolson, who was born in Orkneys in 1655 and became the Bishop of Carlisle in England from 1702 until his death in 1727.

Another distinguished Nicolson was Reverend William Nicolson, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737. He was a prominent clergyman and scholar, serving as the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia from 1786 until his death in 1815.

In the 19th century, Sir Frederick William Erskine Nicolson was a British diplomat who served as the Governor of Cape Colony in South Africa from 1909 to 1910. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1847 and died in 1919.

While the Nicolson surname has Scottish origins, it has since spread globally and has been adopted by individuals of various backgrounds and nationalities. The name continues to be associated with its rich Scottish heritage and the notable individuals who have borne it throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicolson

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

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

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

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