NICKELS
The surname Nickels has its roots in several linguistic traditions, most notably German and Greek. It is a patronymic form that originates from the personal name Nickels’s predecessor, the German rendering of the Greek name Nikolaos, which translates as "victory of the people".
English usage of the surname dates back to the late twelfth century. The earliest recorded instance is that of Waleram Nicholai in 1198, shown in the Curia Regis rolls of Suffolk during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart. Subsequent early examples include John Nichole (c.1270), found in unpublished Essex records, and William Nicholas, recorded in the Berkshire deed catalogue. Church registers from the sixteenth century document marriages such as that of Ellen Nickolls to Humfry Walden in 1589 at St. Dunstan’s, Stepney, and Elizabeth Nichols to Brian Webster in 1592 in Prescot, Lancashire.
The surname is distinctly patronymic; the suffix “‑s” denotes “son of”, so Nickels essentially means “son of Nicholas”. Variants of the name, including Nicholls, Nichols, Nickols, Nickolls, Nicolls, Niccols, Nicholes and Nickoles, appear throughout the English‑speaking world. A family bearing the surname was granted a coat of arms depicting a blue shield with two ermine bars, three gold suns in chief, and a crest formed from a gold ducal coronet and a silver demi‑lion rampant.
In addition to its English and Welsh occurrences, the surname is common in the wider British Isles. It also occurs in Ireland and Scotland, where forms such as Nicholsen and Nickolson can be found. In continental Europe it is present in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In North America the name is most frequently encountered in the Midwest, especially in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa. It is also recorded in Australia, South Africa and Canada. The surname has no etymological connection to the American currency unit nickels, a similarity that is purely coincidental.
Variants arising through linguistic evolution include Nickel (German), Nickle (Americanised) and Nickell (Scandinavian), as well as a host of other forms such as Nickoll, Nickol, Nickols, Niccols, Niggel, Nicklas, Nykel, Nykkel, Knickle, Nickelsen, Nickolson, Nichelson, Nichelsen and Nikkelsen. All of these surnames share the same underlying meaning derived from the Greek Nikolaos.
Typical given names associated with the Nickels surname
Male
- Andrew
- Brian
- Christopher
- David
- Harold
- John
- Matthew
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Timothy
Female
- Anna
- Barbara
- Beryl
- Charlotte
- Elizabeth
- Joanne
- Laura
- Lisa
- Lorna
- Lynn
- Michelle
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Sharon
Similar and related surnames
- Knuckles
- Nickoles
- Nicholson
- Nichols
- Nicholls
- Nicholl
- Nicholes
- Nicholas
- Nickolls
- Nickols
- Nickson
- Nicol
- Nicole
- Nicoll
- Nicolle
- Nicols
- Nicolson
- Nix
- Nicks
- Knickle
- Niccols
- Nickles
- Nickel
- Nical
- Nicell
- Nicells
- Nicely
- Nichol
- Nickal
- Nickall
- Nickalls
- Nickals
- Nickeas
- Nickeless
- Nickell
- Nickells
- Nickelsen
- Nickelson
- Nicklas
- Nickle
- Nickless
- Nickls
- Nickol
- Niclas
- Nicles
- Nicoles
- Nicolls
- Nikel
- Nikil
- Nikkel
- Niklas
- Nikles
- Nikols
- Nuckels
- Nuckles
- Nuckols
- Nicall
- Niccol
- Nickers
- Nickhols
- Nickolas
- Nockels
- Neocleous
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Nickels in...
Braille
⠝⠊⠉⠅⠑⠇⠎
Morse
-...-.-.-.-..-.....
Semaphore
There are approximately 416 people named Nickels in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around six in a million people in Britain are named Nickels.
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
