How common is the surname Nicholson?

58,151 people in the United States had the surname Nicholson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,309 Americans. It ranked 575th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Nicholson?

Jack Nicholson, American actor and filmmaker (born 1937), followed by Julianne Nicholson.

Where is the surname Nicholson most common?

Wikidata records people named Nicholson in the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Nicholson?

Nicholson is /ˈnɪkəlsən/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname Nicholson getting more or less common?

More common. 55,986 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 58,151 in 2010, up 3.9%.

Is Nicholson also a first name?

Yes. Nicholson 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 Nicholson

A patronymic surname, carried by 58,151 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈnɪkəlsən/ 3 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). Nicholson is more common than 99.6% of them.

Origin

From Nicholas + -son. Doublet of Nielsen.

Nicholson 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 58,151 people named Nicholson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 5,309 Americans. That is up 3.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 55,986.

#575

rank among US surnames

58,151

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.9%

change since 2000 (was #534)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#566	Olsen	59,356	5,202
#567	Cochran	59,350	5,202
#568	Morton	59,213	5,214
#569	Nash	58,714	5,258
#570	Wilkins	58,634	5,266
#571	Petersen	58,480	5,280
#572	Briggs	58,408	5,286

Who is named Nicholson

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

74% of people named Nicholson identified as white (not Hispanic), 20% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 74%
Black (not Hispanic) 20%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Nicholsons

18 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Jack Nicholson
American actor and filmmaker (born 1937)
Julianne Nicholson
American actress, born 1971
Seth Barnes Nicholson
American astronomer (1891–1963)
William Nicholson
British chemist (1753-1815)
Lorraine Nicholson
American actress, born 1990
Jim Nicholson
American attorney, real estate developer, and politician, born 1938
John Nicholson
Australian cyclist, born 1949
Ray Nicholson
American actor (born 1992)
Rob Nicholson
American bassist, born 1969
Samuel D. Nicholson
American politician (1859-1923)
Andy Nicholson
British bassist, born 1986
William Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson
British Army officer (1845-1918)

Notable Nicholsons come mostly from the United States (12), the United Kingdom (3) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Nichelson

Surnames that sound like Nicholson

Nicholson 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 Nicholson come from?: From Nicholas + -son. Doublet of Nielsen.
How common is the surname Nicholson?: 58,151 people in the United States had the surname Nicholson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,309 Americans. It ranked 575th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Nicholson?: In the 2010 Census, 74% of people named Nicholson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 20% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Nicholson?: Jack Nicholson, American actor and filmmaker (born 1937), followed by Julianne Nicholson.
Where is the surname Nicholson most common?: Wikidata records people named Nicholson in the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Nicholson?: Nicholson is /ˈnɪkəlsən/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is Nicholson?: Nicholson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Nicholson getting more or less common?: More common. 55,986 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 58,151 in 2010, up 3.9%.
What are other spellings of Nicholson?: Nichelson.
Is Nicholson also a first name?: Yes. Nicholson 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.