A male name. Latin Nicolaus from Greek Νικόλαος, compound of νίκη ‘victory’ arid λαός ‘the people’. St Nicholas, Bishop of Myra c. 300, is regarded as the patron saint of children, sailors, and wolves, and was much venerated in both Eastern and Western Churches. The name is found in use in England before the Norman Conquest, usually applied to a monk. Domesday Book mentions two men of the name, one of whom held Tempore Regis Edwardi (In the Reign of Edward the Confessor). In the 12th C it became a favourite, and some idea of its popularity in the Middle Ages can be gained from the number of common surnames derived from it. The usual English form of the name was Nicol, and C. W. Bardsley, Dictionary of English and WelshSurnames (pub. 1901) gives no fewer than 16 different spellings of the patronymic formed directly from it, in addition to the various spellings of Nicolson, and others formed from diminutive such as Nicolin, Nicolet, Nick (whence Nixon), Cole (whence Cole, Coles, Colley, Collis), Colin (whence Collin, Collins), &c.), Colet (whence Collett, &c.), Colinet. The intrusive h is found as early as the 12th C; Nicholaus occurs e.g. in The Owl and the Nightingale. The spelling of the name was probably influenced by medieval Latin spellings of Greek words containing χ, φ, θ, ρ, which varied between k/ch, p/ph, t/th, r/rh. Nicholas became much less common after the Reformation. The usual abbreviations are now Nichol and Nick. Colin (q.v.) is now an independent name.

Nicolaus Domesday Book 1086, Curia Regis Rolls 1186-1230. Nicholas Hundred Rolls 1273. Nicoll Hundred Rolls 1273. Nichole Hundred Rolls 1273. Nichol Yorks Poll Tax of West Riding of Yorkshire 1379 1379, Close Rolls 1348. Nycolas Lincs 1535.