NameCensus.

UK surname

Nicolls

An English surname originally denoting one from the town of Neville, Normandy.

In the 1881 census there were 359 people recorded with the Nicolls surname, ranking it #8,614 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 131, ranked #26,004, down from #8,614 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Alternon and St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Arun, New Forest and Canterbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nicolls is 383 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 63.5%.

1881 census count

359

Ranked #8,614

Modern count

131

2016, ranked #26,004

Peak year

1901

383 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nicolls had 359 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,614 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016, ranked #26,004.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 383 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Nicolls surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nicolls surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nicolls 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 198 #10,483
1861 historical 238 #10,321
1881 historical 359 #8,614
1891 historical 366 #9,508
1901 historical 383 #9,760
1911 historical 304 #11,342
1997 modern 184 #18,580
1998 modern 186 #18,918
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 168 #20,252
2001 modern 163 #20,372
2002 modern 169 #20,307
2003 modern 147 #21,977
2004 modern 147 #22,094
2005 modern 145 #22,253
2006 modern 145 #22,420
2007 modern 138 #23,478
2008 modern 139 #23,635
2009 modern 134 #24,711
2010 modern 141 #24,460
2011 modern 141 #24,294
2012 modern 141 #24,258
2013 modern 150 #23,653
2014 modern 144 #24,504
2015 modern 139 #24,956
2016 modern 131 #26,004

Geography

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Where Nicolls' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Alternon, St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Enfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Arun, New Forest, Canterbury, Reigate and Banstead and Bromley. 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 3
2 Alternon Cornwall
3 St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford London (South Districts)
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Arun 001 Arun
2 New Forest 011 New Forest
3 Canterbury 006 Canterbury
4 Reigate and Banstead 004 Reigate and Banstead
5 Bromley 031 Bromley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nicolls

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nicolls

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Nicolls surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Nicolls household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Nicolls is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Nicolls is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nicolls falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Nicolls

The surname NICOLLS is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the personal name Nicholas. The name Nicholas is a Greek compound name, formed from 'nikē', meaning 'victory', and 'laos', meaning 'people'. It was introduced into Britain by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The surname NICOLLS is a variant spelling of the more common Nicholas or Nicholls. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire in England. Early recordings of the name include John Nichol in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1205 and Henry Nicolys in the Feet of Fines for Oxfordshire in 1268.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname NICOLLS was William Nicolls, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various manorial records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Roger Nicolson was listed in 1317.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not include any direct references to the surname NICOLLS. However, it does mention several individuals with the personal name Nicholas, which was likely the root of the surname.

A notable bearer of the NICOLLS surname was Sir Augustine Nicolls (1599-1676), an English military commander who served as the first English Governor of the colonial Province of New York from 1664 to 1668. Another prominent figure was Reverend William Nicolls (1654-1727), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Gloucester from 1714 until his death.

Other historical figures with the NICOLLS surname include John Nicolls (c. 1597-1639), an English Member of Parliament for Truro in Cornwall from 1628 to 1629, and Sir Edward Nicolls (c. 1610-1672), an English military commander who served as the Governor of Maryland from 1663 to 1666.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname NICOLLS was also found in various place names, such as Nicholls Green in Gloucestershire and Nicholshayes in Devon. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who owned or resided in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nicolls families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nicolls 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. Cornwall leads with 82 Nicolls' recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.34x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 82 20.34x
Middlesex 45 1.26x
Kent 32 2.63x
Yorkshire 21 0.60x
Surrey 19 1.10x
Leicestershire 15 3.80x
Gloucestershire 12 1.72x
Lancashire 11 0.26x
Suffolk 11 2.54x
Hampshire 10 1.37x
Hertfordshire 9 3.67x
Northamptonshire 9 2.69x
Northumberland 9 1.70x
Cheshire 8 1.02x
Staffordshire 8 0.67x
Berkshire 7 2.62x
Durham 6 0.57x
Sussex 6 1.00x
Channel Islands 5 4.74x
Glamorgan 5 0.81x
Norfolk 5 0.91x
Warwickshire 5 0.56x
Somerset 4 0.70x
Essex 3 0.43x
Shropshire 3 0.98x
Fife 2 0.95x
Lanarkshire 2 0.17x
Lincolnshire 2 0.35x
Monmouthshire 2 0.78x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.46x
Denbighshire 1 0.74x
Devon 1 0.13x
Perthshire 1 0.63x
Royal Navy 1 2.36x
Wiltshire 1 0.32x
Worcestershire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Linkinhorne in Cornwall leads with 21 Nicolls' recorded in 1881 and an index of 747.33x.

Place Total Index
Linkinhorne 21 747.33x
Leicester St Margaret 15 15.58x
Camberwell 11 4.84x
Pickering 11 247.75x
Altarnun 10 714.29x
Belstead 10 2564.10x
St Mary Magdalene 10 337.84x
Herne 9 167.29x
Chester St Oswald 8 56.22x
Hayes 8 220.39x
Wolverhampton 8 8.66x
Flamstead 7 309.73x
Greenham 7 526.32x
Peterborough 7 28.88x
St Stephen 7 489.51x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 6 9.13x
Callington 6 255.32x
Deptford St Paul 6 6.40x
Hetton Le Hole 6 44.71x
Kensington London 6 3.03x
Landulph 6 967.74x
Newington 6 4.56x
St Ive 6 232.56x
Toxteth Park 6 4.19x
Bethnal Green London 5 3.23x
Featherstone 5 126.26x
Gillingham 5 19.97x
Hackney London 5 2.50x
St Peter Port 5 25.61x
Calstock 4 50.63x
Chiswick 4 20.57x
Elswick 4 9.46x
Great Yarmouth 4 8.82x
Keighley 4 10.64x
Leamington Priors 4 18.11x
Lee 4 22.68x
North Hill 4 310.08x
Paddington London 4 3.06x
Shorne 4 373.83x
Southampton St Mary 4 8.72x
St Cleer 4 114.29x
Stroud 4 29.43x
Swansea Town 4 7.87x
Woolwich 4 8.91x
Hendon 3 23.42x
Manchester 3 1.58x
Newcastle On Tyne St 3 10.93x
Poplar London 3 4.46x
St Mary Kalendar 3 197.37x
St Stephens By Saltash 3 172.41x
Bridgewater 2 12.85x
Chelsea London 2 1.86x
Chichester All Sts 2 500.00x
Govan 2 0.70x
Great Clacton 2 83.68x
North Shields 2 18.92x
Northampton St Sepulchre 2 11.74x
Oswestry Town 2 20.30x
Rippingdale 2 298.51x
Rye 2 35.09x
Skenfrith 2 263.16x
Walcot 2 6.55x
Wemyss 2 22.42x
Allesley 1 84.75x
Bishop Stortford 1 12.20x
Clapham 1 2.25x
Clerkenwell London 1 1.19x
Clifton 1 2.83x
East Teignmouth 1 33.00x
Hurstpierpoint 1 29.94x
Newton 1 3.07x
Portsmouth 1 5.95x
Saltash 1 31.95x
Saxlingham Thorpe 1 555.56x
Shrewsbury St Chad 1 9.26x
St Faith Winchester 1 29.41x
Stoke Poges 1 38.02x
Tottenham 1 1.76x
Warminster 1 14.49x
Welwyn 1 46.95x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 16
Eliza 11
Ann 10
Sarah 10
Ellen 9
Emma 9
Jane 5
Emily 4
Louisa 4
Alice 3
Amelia 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Harriett 3
Helen 3
Adelaide 2
Amy 2
Anne 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Eleanor 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Kate 2
Lizzie 2
Minnie 2
Rose 2
Anna 1
Bessie 1
C.M. 1
Catherine 1
Elezebeth 1
Elisa 1
Ethel 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Hellen 1
Hilda 1
Joan 1
Lillie 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Malenden 1
Marian 1
Merry 1
Winnifred 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Nicolls surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nicolls surname in 1881?

In 1881, 359 people were recorded with the Nicolls surname. That placed it at #8,614 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nicolls surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016. That gives Nicolls a modern rank of #26,004.

What does the Nicolls surname mean?

An English surname originally denoting one from the town of Neville, Normandy.

What does the Nicolls map show?

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