# Nicholson (surname)

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

A surname transferred from the given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 58,151 |
| US rank (2010) | 575 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,309 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.9% (55,986 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɪkəlsən/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Nichelson |

## Etymology

From Nicholas + -son. Doublet of Nielsen.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Nicholson 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) | 74% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 20% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Nicholson in the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Australia.

## People named Nicholson

- Jack Nicholson, American actor and filmmaker (born 1937)
- Julianne Nicholson, American actress
- Seth Barnes Nicholson, American astronomer (1891–1963)
- William Nicholson, British chemist (1753-1815)
- Lorraine Nicholson, American actress
- Jim Nicholson, American attorney, real estate developer, and politician
- John Nicholson, Australian cyclist
- Ray Nicholson, American actor (born 1992)
- Rob Nicholson, American bassist
- Samuel D. Nicholson, American politician (1859-1923)
- Andy Nicholson, British bassist
- William Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson, British Army officer (1845-1918)

and 6 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Nichols, Nicholas, Nicolas, Nicholls, Nickels, Nickles, Nickelson, Nicolosi, Nicklas, Nicholes, 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.