NICHOLLS
The surname Nicholls is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the personal name Nicholas, which itself derives from the Greek Nikolaos – a compound of nikan, “to conquer”, and laos, “people”. Consequently the full meaning of the name is “victory of the people”.
As a surname the form Nicholls is patronymic, literally meaning “son of Nicholas”. The practice of forming surnames in this way was common in medieval England, and the name was frequently adopted by families who possessed a male ancestor named Nicholas. The name was recorded in England before the Norman Conquest, and the Domesday Book of 1086 lists a man named Nicolaus, evidence of the personal name’s existence almost a millennium ago.
The earliest known instance of the surname in its modern spelling appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1322, where a Robert Nicholes is mentioned. This record, dated to the reign of King Edward I, demonstrates that the patronymic form had already become established as a family identifier by the early thirteenth century.
Variation of spelling is common in the historical record. Forms such as Nickiol(l)s, Nieclolls, Nicolls and the more extensive Nicholson all stem from the same origin. These variations reflect the fluid nature of orthography in early modern England, in which spelling was largely influenced by phonetics and local dialects.
The name Nicholls spread beyond Britain with the early English diaspora. One William Nicholls embarked on the ship Dutie in May 1619, arriving in the Virginia colony and establishing residency near Charles Cittie by 1624. Such movements contributed to the name’s appearance in records in the Americas and later in other parts of the world.
Beyond its linguistic and genealogical significance, the surname commemorates a figure of great importance in Christian tradition – St. Nicholas of Myra, a 4th‑century bishop renowned as the patron saint of children, sailors and other groups. The veneration of St. Nicholas throughout both Eastern and Western churches helped sustain the popularity of the given name, and by extension of the surname, across Europe during the Middle Ages.
Typical given names associated with the Nicholls surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Nicholl
- Nicholas
- Nickels
- Nichols
- Nickolls
- Nickols
- Nickoles
- Nicholes
- Nicols
- Nicholson
- Nicol
- Nicole
- Nicoll
- Nicolle
- Nicolson
- Nichlos
- Nichalls
- Nichells
- Nichoals
- Nichoels
- Nichol
- Nichola
- Nicholais
- Nicholass
- Nichold
- Nicholds
- Nichole
- Nicholess
- Nicholeus
- Nicholias
- Nicholies
- Nicholis
- Nichollas
- Nicholle
- Nicholles
- Nichollis
- Nichollls
- Nichollson
- Nicholos
- Nicholsan
- Nicholsby
- Nicholsen
- Nicholsn
- Nicholsom
- Nicholus
- Nichools
- Nickholls
- Nicles
- Nicoles
- Nicolls
- Nichals
- Nichels
- Nichils
- Nichlas
- Nichles
- Nichoas
- Nichois
- Nicholace
- Nicholaou
- Nicholau
- Nicholen
- Nicholetts
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Nicholls in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 36,576 people named Nicholls in the UK. That makes it the 208th most common surname in Britain. Around 562 in a million people in Britain are named Nicholls.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Nicholls
- Geoff Nicholls - Musician (1944 to 2017)
- Sue Nicholls - Actress
- Phoebe Nicholls - Actress
- David Nicholls - Writer
- Anthony Nicholls - Actor (1902 to 1997)
- Billy Nicholls - Singer
- Morgan Nicholls - Musician
- Sheila Nicholls - Musician
- Lee Nicholls - Football player
- Horace Nicholls - Photographer (1867 to 1941)
- Peter Nicholls - Singer
- Danielle Nicholls - Television presenter
- Mark Nicholls - Football player
- Alex Nicholls - Football player
- Donald Nicholls, Baron Nicholls of Birkenhead - Lawyer and retired Law Lord (1933 to 2019)
- Kevin Nicholls - Football player
- Patrick Nicholls - Politician
- Sally Nicholls - Novelist
- Paul Nicholls - Jockey and trainer
- Scott Nicholls - Speedway rider
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.