MacNicol Surname

356,707th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,018 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Scotland
Highest density in:
Scotland

MacNicol Surname Definition:

Gaelic Mac Neacail, Middle Gaelic M'Nicail, 'son of Nicol. ' Nicol is from Latin Nicolas, which again is borrowed from Greek Nιχολας, 'conquering people. ' A small sept of Macnicols in Wester Sutherland and in Skye are now generally called Nicolson.

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MacNicol Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland2661:20,1272,350
United States1961:1,849,280120,610
Canada1291:285,62526,641
Australia1211:223,10521,260
South Africa1201:451,48138,064
England1061:525,64232,946
New Zealand561:80,86311,672
Brazil61:35,679,055486,536
Northern Ireland61:307,50612,899
Spain31:15,584,012120,866
Wales31:1,031,51134,732
Norway21:2,571,14395,402
Sweden11:9,846,757347,448
Thailand11:70,638,3451,175,915
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Ghana11:27,020,69223,742
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland51:885,97323,404

MacNicol Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Gaelic Mac Neacail, Middle Gaelic M'Nicail, 'son of Nicol. ' Nicol is from Latin Nicolas, which again is borrowed from Greek Nιχολας, 'conquering people. ' A small sept of Macnicols in Wester Sutherland and in Skye are now generally called Nicolson. The Glenorchy Macnicols are in local tradition said to have sprung from one Nicol M'Phee who left Lochaber in the sixteenth century; they are properly therefere M'Phees (Henderson, p. 52). The popular etymology of the name from an ancestor Krycul and the suggestion of the late Capt Thomas that the name comes from the thirteenth century island chieftain Ottar Snaekollson are both inaccurate. In Arran Mac Neacail is pronounced 'Ac Riocail. MacNicoll in Portree in Skye, according to Hugh Macdonald, formed one of the council of Macdonald of the Isles at Island Finlaggan in Islay (HP., I, p. 24). A half part of the land of Fortar in Angus was let to one Maknychol in 1470 (Cupar-Angus, I, p. 157). Gilbert McNicol was a charter witness in 1533 (Poltalloch Writs, p. 137), and Thomas Maknicoll was a witness in Glasgow in 1553 (Protocols, I). Malcolmuill McNicoll is in record in 1585 (Cawdor, p. 187), John M'Nicoll in Glenfalloch in 1638 (BBT., p. 401), and Nicoll M'Nicoll in Galdanach in 1672 (HP., II, p. 207). The Highland Macneacails may be of Norse origin, but not from Andrew Nicolson the Nerwegian baron who distinguished himself at Largs in 1263. M'Nychol 1561, M'Nycholl 1557, M'Nychole 1546, M'Niccoll 1695. Other forms in the Rental Book of Cupar-Angus are: M'Nichole, M'Nicholl, M'Nicoll, Maknichol, Maknicoll, Maknycholl. Other current forms of the surname are Macnichol and Macnickle.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Celtic + Greek) Son of Nic(h)ol, a diminutive of Nic(h)olas, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

MacNicol Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacNicol Come From? nationality or country of origin

MacNicol occurs more in Scotland more than any other country/territory. It can also occur as a variant:. Click here for other potential spellings of this name.

How Common Is The Last Name MacNicol? popularity and diffusion

It is the 356,707th most frequently occurring surname globally, held by approximately 1 in 7,158,690 people. It occurs predominantly in Europe, where 38 percent of MacNicol reside; 38 percent reside in Northern Europe and 37 percent reside in British Isles.

The last name is most commonly held in Scotland, where it is borne by 266 people, or 1 in 20,127. In Scotland it is mostly concentrated in: Highland, where 20 percent reside, Argyll and Bute, where 14 percent reside and Glasgow City, where 11 percent reside. Apart from Scotland this last name is found in 15 countries. It is also found in The United States, where 19 percent reside and Canada, where 13 percent reside.

MacNicol Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the MacNicol surname is principally Presbyterian (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States MacNicol are 25.57% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 72.34% registered with the political party.

The amount MacNicol earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 17.39% less than the national average, earning 285,906 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 37.51% more than the national average, earning R 326,784 per year; in United States they earn 1.74% less than the national average, earning $42,400 USD per year and in Canada they earn 48.11% more than the national average, earning $73,586 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
MacNichol94311/
MacNicoll94193/
MacNicole941/
MacNicholl8957/
McNichol882,610/
McNicoll881,236/
McNickol8816/
McNicole883/
Macnicolová841/
McNickhol822/
McNichole821/
MacNiocall781/

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MacNicol Reference & Research

Clan MacNicol FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Nichols FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Clan MacNicol FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

Nichols FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacNicol
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis