NameCensus.

UK surname

Nichol

A Scottish and English toponymic surname derived from locations meaning "at the nichol," likely referring to a devil's nook.

In the 1881 census there were 3,236 people recorded with the Nichol surname, ranking it #1,395 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,565, ranked #1,902, down from #1,395 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Hawick and Wilton and Bellingham, Wark, Thorneyburn (West Tarset). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Denholm and Hermitage, Hawick Central and Hawick West End.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nichol is 3,796 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 10.2%.

1881 census count

3,236

Ranked #1,395

Modern count

3,565

2016, ranked #1,902

Peak year

1901

3,796 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nichol had 3,236 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,395 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,565 in 2016, ranked #1,902.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,796 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Nichol surname distribution map

The map shows where the Nichol surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Nichol surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nichol over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,397 #1,244
1861 historical 2,504 #1,167
1881 historical 3,236 #1,395
1891 historical 3,621 #1,324
1901 historical 3,796 #1,484
1911 historical 2,946 #1,762
1997 modern 3,519 #1,839
1998 modern 3,602 #1,881
1999 modern 3,595 #1,892
2000 modern 3,569 #1,900
2001 modern 3,483 #1,902
2002 modern 3,538 #1,919
2003 modern 3,488 #1,902
2004 modern 3,473 #1,906
2005 modern 3,421 #1,899
2006 modern 3,410 #1,904
2007 modern 3,421 #1,917
2008 modern 3,473 #1,912
2009 modern 3,565 #1,913
2010 modern 3,649 #1,911
2011 modern 3,598 #1,915
2012 modern 3,464 #1,948
2013 modern 3,552 #1,936
2014 modern 3,598 #1,914
2015 modern 3,545 #1,927
2016 modern 3,565 #1,902

Geography

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Where Nichols are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Hawick and Wilton, Bellingham, Wark, Thorneyburn (West Tarset), Gateshead and Selkirk. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Denholm and Hermitage, Hawick Central, Hawick West End and Northumberland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Hawick and Wilton Roxburgh
3 Bellingham, Wark, Thorneyburn (West Tarset) Northumberland
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Selkirk Selkirk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Denholm and Hermitage Scottish Borders
2 Hawick Central Scottish Borders
3 Hawick West End Scottish Borders
4 Northumberland 022 Northumberland
5 Northumberland 040 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nichol

These lists show first names that appear often with the Nichol surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nichol

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Nichol, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Nichol surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Nichol household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Nichol is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nichol is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nichol falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Nichol is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Nichol, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Nichol

The surname Nichol has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Nicol", which itself is derived from the Greek name "Nikolaos", meaning "victory of the people". The name Nichol is thought to have first appeared in England sometime around the 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The earliest known recorded instance of the name Nichol can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. It lists a person named "Nicol de Villers" as holding lands in Oxfordshire.

Over the centuries, the name Nichol has been spelled in various ways, including Nicholl, Nicoll, Nicolls, and Nickoll. These variations likely stem from differences in local dialects and the preferences of individual scribes who recorded the name.

One notable bearer of the name Nichol was Sir John Nichol (1590-1667), a Scottish judge and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland during the reign of Charles I. Another was John Pringle Nichol (1804-1859), a Scottish astronomer and professor at the University of Glasgow.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nichol can be found in the records of the Virginia Company, which oversaw the settlement of the Virginia colony in the early 17th century. In 1623, a man named John Nichol is listed as having arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Swanne".

Other notable individuals with the surname Nichol include John Nichol (1833-1894), a Scottish poet and journalist, and Donald Nichol (1923-1997), a British-American artist and writer who was known for his work in the fields of surrealism and abstract expressionism.

Overall, the surname Nichol has a rich history that spans multiple centuries and cultures, with its roots firmly planted in the Anglo-Saxon traditions of medieval England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nichol families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nichol surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Northumberland leads with 668 Nichols recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.28x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 668 14.28x
Durham 507 5.42x
Roxburghshire 244 42.83x
Cumberland 243 8.97x
Lancashire 233 0.62x
Yorkshire 211 0.68x
Lanarkshire 177 1.74x
Middlesex 122 0.39x
Selkirkshire 103 36.20x
Midlothian 84 1.99x
Dumfriesshire 77 11.08x
Surrey 68 0.44x
Ayrshire 41 1.74x
Sussex 31 0.58x
Cheshire 30 0.43x
Aberdeenshire 26 0.89x
Kent 24 0.22x
Essex 23 0.37x
Berwickshire 22 5.78x
Angus 21 0.72x
West Lothian 18 3.80x
Warwickshire 16 0.20x
Staffordshire 14 0.13x
Westmorland 14 2.03x
Wigtownshire 13 3.11x
Caithness 12 2.79x
Norfolk 12 0.25x
Wiltshire 12 0.43x
Pembrokeshire 10 1.00x
Argyllshire 9 1.03x
Berkshire 9 0.38x
Devon 9 0.14x
Fife 9 0.48x
Hampshire 9 0.14x
Monmouthshire 9 0.40x
East Lothian 7 1.68x
Gloucestershire 7 0.11x
Perthshire 7 0.50x
Bedfordshire 6 0.37x
Renfrewshire 6 0.25x
Banffshire 5 0.77x
Somerset 4 0.08x
Buteshire 3 1.57x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.23x
Clackmannanshire 3 1.16x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.36x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.07x
Orkney 3 0.87x
Oxfordshire 3 0.15x
Stirlingshire 3 0.26x
Suffolk 3 0.08x
Derbyshire 2 0.04x
Hertfordshire 2 0.09x
Kincardineshire 2 0.52x
Lincolnshire 2 0.04x
Morayshire 2 0.41x
Ross-shire 2 0.23x
Royal Navy 2 0.53x
Shetland 2 0.62x
Worcestershire 2 0.05x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.05x
Cornwall 1 0.03x
Denbighshire 1 0.08x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Isle of Man 1 0.17x
Kinross-shire 1 1.26x
Peeblesshire 1 0.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Castleton in Roxburghshire leads with 81 Nichols recorded in 1881 and an index of 331.02x.

Place Total Index
Castleton 81 331.02x
Gateshead 78 11.13x
Westoe 63 11.88x
Selkirk 61 76.10x
Hawick 58 45.49x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 56 3.30x
Barony 51 1.98x
Longbenton 41 20.69x
Elswick 40 10.71x
Newcastle On Tyne St 39 16.08x
Bishopwearmouth 36 4.48x
Morpeth 36 65.43x
Govan 35 1.39x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 32 11.45x
Wallsend 31 20.89x
Byker 30 12.97x
Monkwearmouth Shore 25 13.69x
Warksburn 25 1282.05x
Wilton 24 38.40x
Bedlington 23 14.72x
Cambusnethan 21 9.30x
Liverpool 21 0.93x
Soyland 21 56.16x
Huddersfield 20 4.41x
Rotherhithe 20 5.15x
Stockton On Tees 20 4.43x
Broadwater 19 15.62x
Eskdalemuir 19 318.79x
Everton 19 1.60x
Bradford 18 2.39x
High Low Shitlington 18 1440.00x
Lambeth 18 0.66x
Battersea 17 1.47x
Blackburn 17 1.71x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 17 4.20x
Kirkdale 17 2.71x
Satley 17 317.16x
Bowling 16 5.18x
Westgate 16 5.52x
Islington London 15 0.49x
Manchester 15 0.89x
Montrose 15 8.50x
Teviothead 15 285.71x
Caldewgate 14 9.44x
Cleator 14 12.42x
Cowpen 14 12.99x
Ford 14 49.95x
Glasgow 14 0.78x
Manningham 14 3.65x
Crosscanonby 13 14.52x
Halifax 13 2.84x
Hetton Le Hole 13 10.96x
Holme Abbey 13 128.46x
Longframlington 13 289.53x
Middlebie 13 62.38x
Roberton 13 213.11x
St Cuthbert W O 13 9.85x
Wark 13 235.51x
Allendale 12 27.66x
Bromley London 12 1.73x
Collierley 12 28.79x
South Shields 12 14.40x
Warley 12 13.32x
Wick 12 8.63x
Arlecdon 11 15.28x
Bewcastle 11 114.94x
Birkenhead 11 1.99x
Birmingham 11 0.42x
Bishop Auckland 11 8.76x
Crossgate 11 26.89x
Dalserf 11 10.84x
Eccles 11 65.91x
Hackney London 11 0.62x
Hexham 11 15.19x
Kingwater 11 308.99x
Plashetts Tynehead 11 232.07x
Plumbland 11 157.14x
St Boswells 11 106.49x
Stranton 11 3.49x
Toxteth Park 11 0.87x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Nichol surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Nichol surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 191
William 155
James 110
Thomas 91
Robert 74
George 59
Joseph 46
Charles 28
Henry 26
Andrew 23
Walter 18
Samuel 16
Alexander 15
David 14
Francis 14
Edward 13
Adam 12
Frederick 12
Arthur 11
Anthony 9
Richard 9
Albert 8
Alfred 8
Thos. 8
Wm. 8
Christopher 6
Edwin 6
Matthew 6
Ralph 6
Abraham 5
Daniel 5
Frank 5
Isaac 5
Mathew 5
Benjamin 4
Ernest 4
Joshua 4
Harry 3
Malcolm 3
Mark 3
Tom 3
Willm. 3
Danl. 2
Fred 2
Lewis 2
Michael 2
Moses 2
Peter 2
Theodore 2
Tho. 2

FAQ

Nichol surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nichol surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,236 people were recorded with the Nichol surname. That placed it at #1,395 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nichol surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,565 in 2016. That gives Nichol a modern rank of #1,902.

What does the Nichol surname mean?

A Scottish and English toponymic surname derived from locations meaning "at the nichol," likely referring to a devil's nook.

What does the Nichol map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Nichol bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.