NICKOLS
Nickols is a patronymic surname that originates from the Greek personal name Nikolaos, itself formed from the elements nikan meaning “to conquer” and laos meaning “people”. The translation of the name, and therefore the surname, is commonly understood as “victory of the people”. The surname developed in the English‑speaking world through the use of the given name Nicholas, which was widely popular during the Middle Ages, in part because of the veneration of Saint Nicholas, patron of children, merchants and sailors.
The earliest documented instance of the surname in England is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Suffolk, where a Waleram Nicholai is recorded in 1198, during the reign of King Richard I, also known as “The Lionheart”. In the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries other records show the use of the name: John Nichole is mentioned in the Essex Records Office around 1270, and William Nicholas is listed in a catalogue of ancient deeds from Berkshire. Ecclesiastical registers from the sixteenth century contain further evidence, such as the marriage of Ellen Nickolls to Humfry Walden on 26 October 1589 at St. Dunstan’s in Stepney, and the marriage of Elizabeth Nichols to Brian Webster on 3 December 1592 in Prescot, Lancashire.
Throughout the early modern period the surname appears in a variety of spellings, including Nichols, Nickolls, Nicolls and Nicolas, each reflecting local pronunciation and orthographic practice. A coat of arms belonging to a family of this name has been recorded as a blue shield bearing two ermine bars and, in chief, three gold suns; the crest shows a silver demi lion rampant emerging from a gold ducal coronet.
In more recent history the surname is most frequently found in the United States, particularly in the Mid‑Atlantic and Midwest regions, although it is still relatively uncommon. In the United Kingdom the name remains a minority surname, while it is also present, in smaller numbers, in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of the Republic of Ireland. The diversity of spelling variants in English and in continental Europe reflects the widespread adoption of the root name across cultures, but the core meaning of “victory of the people” has persisted through all forms of the surname.
Typical given names associated with the Nickols surname
Male
- Anthony
- Daniel
- David
- Glenn
- James
- John
- Kenneth
- Mark
- Paul
- Peter
- Simon
- Stuart
Female
- Annabel
- Arabella
- Daniela
- Elaine
- Emma
- Gemma
- Helen
- Joyce
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Pamela
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Knickle
- Neocleous
- Nical
- Nicall
- Niccol
- Niccols
- Nicell
- Nicells
- Nichol
- Nicholes
- Nicholl
- Nicholls
- Nichols
- Nicholson
- Nickal
- Nickall
- Nickalls
- Nickals
- Nickel
- Nickeless
- Nickell
- Nickells
- Nickels
- Nickhols
- Nicklas
- Nickle
- Nickles
- Nickless
- Nicklos
- Nickls
- Nickol
- Nickolas
- Nickoles
- Nickolls
- Niclas
- Nicles
- Nicol
- Nicolaas
- Nicolas
- Nicole
- Nicoles
- Nicoll
- Nicolle
- Nicolls
- Nicols
- Nicolson
- Nikel
- Nikil
- Nikkel
- Niklas
- Nikles
- Nikolas
- Nikols
- Nockels
- Nuckels
- Nuckles
- Nuckols
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Nickols in...
Braille
⠝⠊⠉⠅⠕⠇⠎
Morse
-...-.-.-.----.-.....
Semaphore
There are approximately 224 people named Nickols in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around three in a million people in Britain are named Nickols.
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
