The Nicholls surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,722 people carried this name — #6,010 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 51,500 people counted. That is up 7% from 5,344 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Nicholls surname

A surname transferred from the given name.

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

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Nicholls» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

38 people named Nicholls live in Switzerland.

They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 11
Bern 5
Zug 5
Aargau 4
Vaud 4
Solothurn 3
Ticino 3
Valais 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 36 people named Nicholls.

Most of them — 29 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Oise.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 29
Oise 2
Loire-Atlantique 1
Meurthe-et-Moselle 1
French Guiana 1
Wallis and Futuna 1
New Caledonia 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 26 people named Nicholls live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 26

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

60 people named Nicholls are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 38
Finland (2026) 22

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Nicholls was found among the farmers of 17 counties.

It was most frequent in Cornwall: 88 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 114. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Nicholls and Nichols.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cornwall 88
Northamptonshire 40
Essex 33
Wiltshire 31
Devon 28
Gloucestershire 27
Norfolk 26
Oxfordshire 20

And 9 more counties.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Nicholls was recorded 20 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1147th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 26. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Nicholls in American newspapers,
1904–1926.

Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name Nicholls
The Milwaukee Leader 1926-02-04
Newspaper page from Lewiston Evening Teller carrying the name Nicholls
Lewiston Evening Teller 1904-06-25
Newspaper page from Iowa County Democrat carrying the name Nicholls
Iowa County Democrat 1912-06-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,277 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Nicholls in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

131,948 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Nicholls. The most, 21,667, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 34,281
South Australia 28,841
Victoria 24,842
Tasmania 19,938
Queensland 11,501
Western Australia 11,242
ACT (Canberra) 765
Northern Territory 230

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Nicholls.

Who carried it

People named Nicholls,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Frank Nicholls
    Frank Nicholls 1699–1778 · physician
  • George Nicholls
    George Nicholls 1781–1865
  • Arthur Bell Nicholls
    Arthur Bell Nicholls 1819–1906 · vicar
  • Francis T. Nicholls
    Francis T. Nicholls 1834–1912 · judge
  • Rhoda Carleton Holmes Nicholls
    Rhoda Carleton Holmes Nicholls 1854–1930 · illustrator

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 253 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Nicholls,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,277 records

1,277 records of the Nicholls name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 512
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 251
  • Other U.S. records 514
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lionel G. Nicholls

    Born 1898. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; painter from Kings County, New York. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Clifford L. Nicholls

    Born 1908 in Canada. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Wolters, Texas; bookkeeper from Dallas County, Texas. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran; died 1979, buried at Ridgeview Memorial Park, Allen, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robert Nicholls

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 16; farmer. From Leitrim, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,277 records for Nicholls in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,962 records

3,962 records of the Nicholls name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,985
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 814
  • Other Australian records 1,163
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Nicholls

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Garland Grove, sailing from Woolwich in 1842. Native of Stepney, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1843. Married 1844 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 48.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ernest William Nicholls

    Died 1925 in Struan Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1925.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Nicholls

    Arrived in Victoria in 1889 aboard the Lusitania, aged 39.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,962 records for Nicholls in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada188 records

188 records of the Nicholls name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 50
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 36
  • Other Canadian records 102
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Ceasar Nicholls

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Ann, bound for Port Roseway, aged 22.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Nicholls

    Came to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Hibernian, landing at Halifax, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Charlotte Elizabeth Nicholls

    Buried in 1989 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 94.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 188 records for Nicholls in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom129 records

129 records of the Nicholls name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 103
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 12
  • Other British records 14
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Alford Nicholls

    Born 1891 at Dominica. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Herbert Nicholls

    Buried in 1966 at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 48.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Cooper Nicholls

    Will proved in 1927; of Neyland.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 129 records for Nicholls in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand120 records

120 records of the Nicholls name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 86
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 19
  • Other New Zealand records 15
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Henry Nicholls

    Died 1931, aged 46; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alfred Nicholls

    Died 1917, aged 76; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jean Nicholls

    Born 1918, died 1990; ashes interred at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 120 records for Nicholls in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands9 records

9 records of the Nicholls name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch population registers 4
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Annie Nicholls

    Married in 1920 in 's-Gravenhage; nurse.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Arthur Nicholls

    Married in 1946 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Nicholls in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France6 records

6 records of the Nicholls name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Gordon Nicholls

    Born 1915 in Nouméa; died 1991 in Australia.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Alice Suzanne Nicholls

    Born 1892 in Lacroix-Saint-Ouen (Oise); died 1974 in Honfleur (Calvados).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Nicholls in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Nicholls.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Nicholls.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Nicholls is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Nicholls volume
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