NameCensus.

UK surname

Nicklen

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Nicklen surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 243, ranked #17,131, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Breamore, Milford with Keyhaven (incl. Efford) and Cranborne, Wimborne St Giles and Allhallows, Moore Critchell, Gussage St Michael, West Parley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include New Forest, Cornwall and Bournemouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nicklen is 362 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.9%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

243

2016, ranked #17,131

Peak year

1901

362 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nicklen had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016, ranked #17,131.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 362 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Nicklen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nicklen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nicklen 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 101 #17,036
1861 historical 134 #16,754
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 281 #11,630
1901 historical 362 #10,173
1911 historical 332 #10,642
1997 modern 251 #15,236
1998 modern 247 #15,813
1999 modern 261 #15,353
2000 modern 253 #15,623
2001 modern 250 #15,527
2002 modern 266 #15,156
2003 modern 267 #14,950
2004 modern 265 #15,110
2005 modern 243 #15,943
2006 modern 234 #16,493
2007 modern 231 #16,835
2008 modern 229 #17,092
2009 modern 232 #17,293
2010 modern 242 #17,138
2011 modern 243 #16,968
2012 modern 239 #17,027
2013 modern 239 #17,307
2014 modern 244 #17,189
2015 modern 238 #17,378
2016 modern 243 #17,131

Geography

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Where Nicklens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Breamore, Milford with Keyhaven (incl. Efford), Cranborne, Wimborne St Giles and Allhallows, Moore Critchell, Gussage St Michael, West Parley, Fordingbridge, Rockbourn and Christchurch, Holdenhurst, Sopley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to New Forest, Cornwall, Bournemouth, Brentwood and North Lincolnshire. 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 Breamore Hampshire
2 Milford with Keyhaven (incl. Efford) Hampshire
3 Cranborne, Wimborne St Giles and Allhallows, Moore Critchell, Gussage St Michael, West Parley Dorset
4 Fordingbridge, Rockbourn Hampshire
5 Christchurch, Holdenhurst, Sopley Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 New Forest 001 New Forest
2 Cornwall 002 Cornwall
3 Bournemouth 021 Bournemouth
4 Brentwood 005 Brentwood
5 North Lincolnshire 010 North Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nicklen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nicklen

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Nicklen, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Nicklen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Nicklen household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Nicklen is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

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Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nicklen is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nicklen falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Nicklen 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 Nicklen, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Nicklen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nicklen 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. Hampshire leads with 82 Nicklens recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.44x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 82 23.44x
Dorset 34 30.35x
Wiltshire 17 11.26x
Staffordshire 13 2.26x
Berkshire 7 5.46x
Lancashire 6 0.30x
Worcestershire 5 2.24x
Durham 3 0.59x
Suffolk 2 0.96x
Derbyshire 1 0.37x
Devon 1 0.28x
Middlesex 1 0.06x
Somerset 1 0.36x
Surrey 1 0.12x
Yorkshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cranborne in Dorset leads with 33 Nicklens recorded in 1881 and an index of 2444.44x.

Place Total Index
Cranborne 33 2444.44x
Damerham 17 4722.22x
Holdenhurst 15 163.40x
Breamore 14 4242.42x
Milford 13 1274.51x
Ryde 7 93.09x
Stoke Upon Trent 7 11.46x
Beswick 6 115.83x
Fordingbridge 6 315.79x
Nursling 6 1071.43x
Reading St Giles 6 47.73x
Southampton St Mary 6 27.27x
Dudley 5 18.45x
Kingswinford 4 19.12x
Lymington 4 155.64x
Darlington 3 15.30x
Portsea 3 4.38x
Hawley 2 303.03x
Orford 2 298.51x
Southampton St John 2 555.56x
Uttoxeter 2 67.80x
Andover 1 30.21x
Beddington 1 31.06x
Exeter St Kerrian 1 400.00x
Litchurch 1 9.30x
Romsey Extra 1 48.08x
Shanklin 1 96.15x
Southampton 1 357.14x
St Marylebone London 1 1.10x
Sunninghill 1 56.18x
Taunton St Mary 1 19.84x
Wimborne Minster 1 55.25x
Wombwell 1 20.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ann 7
Eliza 6
Elizabeth 6
Edith 4
Emma 4
Fanny 4
Alice 3
Charlotte 3
Jane 3
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Harriet 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Rose 2
Sarah 2
Anna 1
Beatrice 1
Harriett 1
Jemima 1
Kate 1
Katharine 1
Keturah 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
Lottey 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Millie 1
Olive 1
Piety 1
Prudence 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Ruth 1
Sara 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1
Unice 1
Virtue 1
Wenford 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Nicklen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nicklen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Nicklen surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nicklen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016. That gives Nicklen a modern rank of #17,131.

What does the Nicklen map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Nicklen 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.