The Nicholson surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 58,151 people carried this name — #575 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,070 people counted. That is up 4% from 55,986 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Nicholson surname
From Nicholas + -son.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Nicholson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 44 births for the Nicholson name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Sligo, and Dublin.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 255 people named Nicholson 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.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 61 people named Nicholson.
Most of them — 33 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 8 départements, most often Guadeloupe.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
32 people named Nicholson live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
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 the Nordic population registers
66 people named Nicholson is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
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).
Who carried it
People named Nicholson,
with a public archive behind them.
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Bob Nicholson d. 1977 · rugby league player
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Arthur L. Nicholson d. 1940 · writer
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Mabel Meliora Nicholson d. 1964
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Armorer Romer Williams d. 1987
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Mary Nicholson d. 1789
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William Nicholson d. 1815
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Nicholson.
- Nicaise 154 · U.S. census
- Nicar 127 · U.S. census
- Nicastro 2,144 · U.S. census
- Niccolai 214 · U.S. census
- Nice 3,595 · U.S. census
- Nicholas 27,922 · U.S. census
- Nick 3,590 · U.S. census
- Nickel 8,292 · U.S. census
- Nickels 4,949 · U.S. census
- Nicklaus 811 · U.S. census
- Nickler 124 · U.S. census
- Nickles 4,634 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Nicholson 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.