NameCensus.

UK surname

Nickolls

In the 1881 census there were 378 people recorded with the Nickolls surname, ranking it #8,288 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 209, ranked #19,009, down from #8,288 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Northamptonshire, Stafford and Aylesbury Vale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nickolls is 460 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 44.7%.

1881 census count

378

Ranked #8,288

Modern count

209

2016, ranked #19,009

Peak year

1901

460 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nickolls had 378 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,288 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 209 in 2016, ranked #19,009.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 460 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Nickolls surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nickolls surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nickolls 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 330 #7,062
1861 historical 321 #7,938
1881 historical 378 #8,288
1891 historical 336 #10,158
1901 historical 460 #8,564
1911 historical 359 #10,084
1997 modern 223 #16,448
1998 modern 246 #15,864
1999 modern 235 #16,458
2000 modern 237 #16,331
2001 modern 229 #16,467
2002 modern 234 #16,543
2003 modern 229 #16,601
2004 modern 214 #17,435
2005 modern 217 #17,217
2006 modern 211 #17,662
2007 modern 197 #18,669
2008 modern 196 #18,895
2009 modern 206 #18,657
2010 modern 210 #18,836
2011 modern 206 #18,907
2012 modern 210 #18,604
2013 modern 219 #18,385
2014 modern 219 #18,523
2015 modern 212 #18,842
2016 modern 209 #19,009

Geography

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Where Nickolls' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton, St Pancras and Hythe St Leonard, Cheriton, Newington, Saltwood, West Hythe, Burmarsh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Northamptonshire, Stafford, Aylesbury Vale, Ashford and Shepway. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Hythe St Leonard, Cheriton, Newington, Saltwood, West Hythe, Burmarsh Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Northamptonshire 001 South Northamptonshire
2 Stafford 014 Stafford
3 Aylesbury Vale 015 Aylesbury Vale
4 Ashford 013 Ashford
5 Shepway 006 Shepway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nickolls

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nickolls

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Nickolls is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nickolls is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nickolls falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Nickolls families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nickolls 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. Middlesex leads with 53 Nickolls' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.41x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 53 1.41x
Kent 48 3.76x
Warwickshire 44 4.66x
Staffordshire 26 2.06x
Worcestershire 26 5.32x
Norfolk 19 3.30x
Devon 18 2.31x
Northamptonshire 17 4.83x
Yorkshire 15 0.40x
Gloucestershire 13 1.77x
Cheshire 12 1.45x
Glamorgan 12 1.84x
Oxfordshire 10 4.32x
Herefordshire 8 5.21x
Shropshire 8 2.47x
Sussex 8 1.27x
Surrey 7 0.38x
Channel Islands 5 4.50x
Essex 5 0.68x
Derbyshire 4 0.68x
Suffolk 4 0.88x
Wiltshire 4 1.21x
Lancashire 3 0.07x
Somerset 3 0.50x
Dorset 2 0.81x
Durham 2 0.18x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.40x
Radnorshire 2 6.62x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.42x
Denbighshire 1 0.71x
Hampshire 1 0.13x
Lincolnshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 29 Nickolls' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.21x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 29 9.21x
Bromley London 13 15.77x
Wye 13 656.57x
Wotton Under Edge 11 254.04x
Aston 10 3.84x
Chaddesley Corbett 10 546.45x
Chislehurst 10 145.99x
Brightside Bierlow 9 12.36x
Ashford 8 64.26x
Clotton Hoofield 8 1818.18x
Kidderminster Borough 8 27.94x
Paddington London 8 5.81x
Swansea Higher 8 117.82x
Wednesbury 8 25.32x
Garway 7 1029.41x
Oxford St Clement 7 119.86x
St Pancras London 7 2.32x
West Hoathly 7 353.54x
Worcester All Sts 7 247.35x
Bacton 6 1016.95x
Bishops Tawton 6 246.91x
Hackney London 6 2.86x
Hampstead London 6 10.28x
Handsworth 6 19.26x
Norwich St Peter Mancroft 6 207.61x
Walsall Foreign 6 9.19x
Winwick In Oundle 6 1578.95x
Islington London 5 1.38x
Kings Cliffe 5 304.88x
Meopham 5 316.46x
Newton Abbot St Mary 5 76.45x
St Helier 5 13.84x
Bethnal Green London 4 2.46x
East Clandon 4 1111.11x
Oystermouth 4 79.21x
Penshurst 4 186.05x
Tranmere 4 13.16x
Trunch 4 689.66x
Alveley 3 234.38x
Balsall 3 202.70x
Bolsover 3 102.04x
Clapton 3 1111.11x
Cucklington 3 882.35x
Grittleton 3 750.00x
Nether Heyford 3 288.46x
Prittlewell 3 29.27x
Quatt 3 681.82x
Sheffield 3 2.54x
Wicklewood 3 319.15x
Beeston 2 34.48x
Boughton Monchelsea 2 141.84x
Burslem 2 5.52x
Caversham 2 43.20x
Doncaster 2 7.37x
Leigh 2 119.76x
Llandilo Graban 2 625.00x
Manchester 2 1.00x
Stafford St Mary 2 11.17x
West Teignmouth 2 33.56x
Wolsingham 2 19.69x
Wyke Regis 2 56.66x
Barking 1 4.62x
Battersea 1 0.73x
Blakemere 1 454.55x
Braunton 1 37.88x
Canterbury St Mary 1 11.66x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 8.08x
Ealing 1 2.99x
Gorleston 1 8.63x
Great Little Hampton 1 123.46x
Heap 1 4.24x
Holme On Spalding Moor 1 41.15x
Ilmington 1 98.04x
Oswestry Town 1 9.65x
Otford 1 56.18x
Oxford St Aldate 1 41.15x
Romansleigh 1 526.32x
South Molton 1 23.36x
Trowbridge 1 6.83x
Yoxford 1 73.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 27
Elizabeth 13
Sarah 11
Ann 7
Eliza 7
Ellen 7
Emma 7
Hannah 7
Annie 6
Margaret 6
Alice 5
Amelia 5
Charlotte 5
Jane 5
Caroline 4
Clara 4
Fanny 4
Louisa 4
Rose 4
Anna 3
Florence 3
Maria 3
Ada 2
Bessie 2
Catherine 2
Christiana 2
Emily 2
Eva 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
Rebecca 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Beatrice 1
Dorothy 1
Edith 1
Elisa 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Esther 1
Isabel 1
Jermima 1
Julia 1
Lydia 1
Margaretta 1
Minnie 1
Nellie 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 29
John 20
George 12
Charles 10
James 10
Henry 9
Thomas 9
Joseph 8
Albert 7
Edward 6
Frank 5
Alfred 4
Harry 4
Richard 4
Robert 4
Samuel 4
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
Christopher 2
Elijah 2
Walter 2
Benjamin 1
Charlie 1
Chas. 1
David 1
Ebenezer 1
Edwd.Clark 1
Edwin 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Hurbert 1
Jackson 1
Jonathan 1
Josh. 1
Nathan 1
Owin 1
Peter 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1
W. 1
W.Henry 1
Wallace 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Nickolls surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nickolls surname in 1881?

In 1881, 378 people were recorded with the Nickolls surname. That placed it at #8,288 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nickolls surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 209 in 2016. That gives Nickolls a modern rank of #19,009.

What does the Nickolls map show?

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