# Nicholas (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/nicholas/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 27,922 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,258 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 11,057 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.9% (26,628 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɪk.ə.ləs/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Nicolas, Nickolas, Nikolas |

## Etymology

From Middle English Nicholas, from Old French Nicholas, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος (Nikólaos), from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) + λαός (laós, “people”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Nicholas in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 73% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 17% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Nicholas in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

## People named Nicholas

- Thomas Ian Nicholas, American actor (born 1980)
- Drew Nicholas, American basketball player (born 1981)
- Wilson Cary Nicholas, American politician (1761-1820)
- Hilda Rix Nicholas, Australian painter (1884–1961)
- Denise Nicholas, actress
- Robert C. Nicholas, American politician (1757-1856)
- Albert Nicholas, American musician (1900-1973)
- Samuel Nicholas, 1st Commandant of the Marine Corps
- Peter Nicholas, American businessman (1941–2022)
- Henry Nicholas, American businessman and convicted felon
- Paul Nicholas, British actor and singer

## Similar surnames

Nichols, Nicholls, Nicholes, Nicholson, Nicolas, Nickels, Nickles, Nickelson, Nicolosi, Nicklas, Nickols, Nicolls.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.