How common is the surname Nichols?

145,584 people in the United States had the surname Nichols in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,121 Americans. It ranked 189th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Nichols?

Mike Nichols, American director and comedian (1931–2014), followed by Nichelle Nichols.

Where is the surname Nichols most common?

Wikidata records people named Nichols in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Nichols?

Nichols is /ˈnɪkəlz/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Nichols getting more or less common?

More common. 141,936 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 145,584 in 2010, up 2.6%.

What are other spellings of Nichols?

Nicholds, Nicholls, Nickalls, Nickells, Nickels and Nickolds.

Is Nichols also a first name?

Yes. Nichols is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Nichols

A patronymic surname, carried by 145,584 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈnɪkəlz/ 2 syllables Soundex N242

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Nichols is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

From Nichol, medieval vernacular form of the given name Nicholas + the patronymic suffix -s.

Nichols is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 145,584 people named Nichols in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,121 Americans. That is up 2.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 141,936.

#189

rank among US surnames

145,584

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.6%

change since 2000 (was #174)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#180	Fox	152,334	2,027
#181	Warren	152,147	2,029
#182	Mills	151,942	2,032
#183	Meyer	150,895	2,046
#184	Rice	149,500	2,065
#185	Schmidt	147,034	2,100
#186	Garza	147,005	2,100

Who is named Nichols

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

82% of people named Nichols identified as white (not Hispanic), 12% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 82%
Black (not Hispanic) 12%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Nicholss

42 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Mike Nichols
American director and comedian (1931–2014)
Nichelle Nichols
American actress (1932–2022)
Rachel Nichols
American actress and model (born 1980)
Mitch Nichols
Australian association football player, born 1989
Marisol Nichols
American actress, born 1973
Austin Nichols
American actor and director (born 1980)
Vincent Nichols
British cardinal, born 1945
Jeff Nichols
American film director, born 1978
George Nichols
American actor and film director (1864-1927)
Barbara Nichols
American actress (1928-1976)
Dudley Nichols
American screenwriter (1895-1960)
Taylor Nichols
American actor, born 1959

Notable Nicholss come mostly from the United States (37), Australia (2) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Nicholds
Nicholls
Nickalls
Nickells
Nickels
Nickolds
Nickolls
Nickols
Nicolls

Surnames that sound like Nichols

Nichols has the Soundex code N242, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code N242.

Questions

Where does the surname Nichols come from?: From Nichol, medieval vernacular form of the given name Nicholas + the patronymic suffix -s.
How common is the surname Nichols?: 145,584 people in the United States had the surname Nichols in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,121 Americans. It ranked 189th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Nichols?: In the 2010 Census, 82% of people named Nichols identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Nichols?: Mike Nichols, American director and comedian (1931–2014), followed by Nichelle Nichols.
Where is the surname Nichols most common?: Wikidata records people named Nichols in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Nichols?: Nichols is /ˈnɪkəlz/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Nichols?: Nichols is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Nichols getting more or less common?: More common. 141,936 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 145,584 in 2010, up 2.6%.
What are other spellings of Nichols?: Nicholds, Nicholls, Nickalls, Nickells, Nickels and Nickolds.
Is Nichols also a first name?: Yes. Nichols is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.