Nicols Surname

69,361st
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 7,147 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Mozambique
Highest density in:
Mozambique

Nicols Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Nicholas,' from Nichol or Nicol, the nick.; v. Nicholas. Nichol always held a fair place in popular favour, as our directories of to-day amply prove. But Collin (which see) was probably the greater favourite.

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Nicols Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Mozambique5,5621:4,9011,104
United States7071:512,67242,946
Mexico2451:506,6389,036
Canada1441:255,87224,214
Spain1411:331,57519,344
England1331:418,93328,433
Australia551:490,83137,357
New Zealand251:181,13319,287
Dominican Republic231:453,60614,824
Argentina211:2,035,401100,871
Netherlands101:1,688,71881,846
Brazil81:26,759,292405,030
South Africa71:7,739,672177,858
Scotland71:764,83125,488
France61:11,070,454349,096
Germany51:16,101,092397,699
Colombia41:11,943,51826,735
Italy41:15,289,172132,955
Bolivia31:3,538,81111,393
Czechia31:3,544,490144,714
Peru31:10,594,70845,902
India31:255,688,4611,306,352
Nicaragua21:3,010,5457,383
Russia21:72,061,528727,117
Philippines21:50,619,112341,003
Uruguay11:3,431,75838,295
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
Trinidad and Tobago11:1,363,97522,013
Andorra11:83,8382,381
Venezuela11:30,204,07785,459
Yemen11:26,425,29455,147
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
DR Congo11:73,879,570260,543
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Saint Kitts and Nevis11:55,1991,294
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Nigeria11:177,142,758748,972
China11:1,367,321,56651,149
New Caledonia11:276,22310,363
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
North Macedonia11:2,101,47231,546
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Denmark11:5,644,71593,155
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland11:4,429,86640,727
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1671:145,96013,001
Scotland181:207,9567,652
Wales21:784,20816,349
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States7981:62,9316,868

The alternate forms: Nicolš (1) are calculated separately.

Nicols (953) may also be a first name.

Nicols Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Nicholas,' from Nichol or Nicol, the nick.; v. Nicholas. Nichol always held a fair place in popular favour, as our directories of to-day amply prove. But Collin (which see) was probably the greater favourite.

William fil. Nicoll, Salop, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John Nicole, Oxfordshire, ibid.

Stephen Nichole, Oxfordshire, ibid.

Alicia Nicholmayden and Robertus Nichol-man (i.e. the servant of Nichol), 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Nichol Gurdelere, Close Rolls, 21 Edward III. pt.

John Niccolson, temp. Elizabeth: Calendar of Pleadings, temp. Elizabeth I.

1562. Baptised — Joane Nichollsonne: St Peter, Cornhill.

1575. Thomas Nicolls, Middlesex: Register of the University of Oxford.

Nycall Spyght, 1602: Nicolson and Burn, History Westm. and Cumb.

1687. James Nickleson and Ann Goodman: Marriage Alleg. (Canterbury).

1707. Married — Robert Nicholls and Elizabeth Moye: St. Antholin (London).

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

'son of Nic(h)ol,' q v. Maucolum fiz Nicol rendered homage in 1296 (Bain, II, 816). William Nicholai (Latin genitive) or Nycholayi was burgess of Glasgow 1419-21 (LCD., p. 241), Gilbert Nicholai was vicar of Auferde (Alford) in 1435 (REB., II, 52), and Patrick Nicholai, presbyter of Brechin, 1436, appears in 1448 as Patrik Nicholsone, perpetual chaplain of Caldhame (ibid., I, 82,106). Michael Nycholson leased pert of Parcy (Persie), 1443, and Gylbryd Nycholay in 1446 (Cupar-Angus, I, p. 120,128), Matthew Nicholay, witness in Aberdeen, 1489 (REA., II, p. 303), and John Nicholsoun was burgess of Dumfries, 1544 (Anderson). Ailleis Neclasson had remission in 1547 for his share in taking and holding the Casde of Akirgill, Caithness (OPS., II, p. 778), and Mallie Niclasson is recorded in the Boigis, 1663 (Caithness). The Nicolsons of Lasswade are an old family, knighted in seventeenth century. Sir William Nicolson (d. 1766), four times married, was father of twenty-three children. The Nicholsons of Skye have Englished their name from Macnicol, which see. Necolson 1474, Nicollsoun 1624, Nucolsone 1655, Nycholsoun 1483.

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

Nicol(l)’s (Son): v. Nicol(l.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

The son of Nicholas. Most families of this name trace to the counties of Northumberland and Cumberland. It is not improbable that they are descended from the great Anglo-Norman family of Fitz-Nigell or Nicholl. See Nicholl.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Nicholson. —With few exceptions confined to the northern half of England, being most frequent in Cumberland and Northumberland, and afterwards in Durham and in the adjacent parts of Yorkshire. It is noticeable that Nixon, a contraction of this name, is also restricted to the northern half of England, being most numerous in Cheshire and Northumberland. From the north of England the Nicholsons and Nicolsons have extended into the Scottish border counties, especially into Dumfriesshire.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Nicols Last Name Facts

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

The last name Nicols is more commonly found in Mozambique than any other country/territory. It can be found in the variant forms: Nicolš. For other possible spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Nicols? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 69,361st most frequent surname throughout the world It is held by around 1 in 1,019,665 people. The surname occurs mostly in Africa, where 78 percent of Nicols reside; 78 percent reside in Southern Africa and 78 percent reside in Luso-Southern Africa. Nicols is also the 261,626th most commonly occurring first name in the world, borne by 953 people.

It is most widespread in Mozambique, where it is borne by 5,562 people, or 1 in 4,901. Not including Mozambique this last name is found in 46 countries. It also occurs in The United States, where 10 percent live and Mexico, where 3 percent live.

Nicols Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Nicols has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Nicols surname declined 11 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it declined 20 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Scotland it declined 61 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Nicols Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those bearing the surname is primarily Catholic (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Nicols surname are 3.41% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than the national average, with 56.64% registered to vote for the party.

The amount Nicols earn in different countries varies notably. In United States they earn 0.21% less than the national average, earning $43,057 USD per year and in Canada they earn 20.56% more than the national average, earning $59,900 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

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Nicols Reference & Research

Nichols 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 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 Nicols
  • 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