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Nichol History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Nichol History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Nichol

What does the name Nichol mean?

The Nichol surname comes from the German personal name Nikolaus.

Early Origins of the Nichol family

The surname Nichol was first found in Austria, where the family rose to prominence early in the mediaeval era. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. The name refers to St. Nickolaus, the patron saint of seafaring merchants and the protector of children.

Early History of the Nichol family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nichol research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1664, 1717, 1745, 1756, 1761, 1766 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Nichol History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nichol Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Nichol include Nickel, Nikel, Nickl, Nickle, Nickele, Nickels, Nickelsen, Nickelson, Nicol, Nicols, Nicolsen, Nicolson, Nichol, Nicholl, Nichols, Nicholls, Nicholson, Nichaelsen, Nickells, Nickell, Nichelmann, Nickelmann, Nichelman and many more.

Early Notables of the Nichol family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nichol Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nichol Ranking

In the United States, the name Nichol is the 9,000^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Nichol migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Nichol or a variant listed above:

Nichol Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Jung Nichol, aged 20, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 2
Peter Nichol, aged 21, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
James Nichol, who settled in Charleston in 1767
James Nichol, who settled in Charleston, South Carolina in 1767

Nichol Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Nichol, aged 30, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1822 2
John Nichol, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1831 2
F Nichol, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
W Nichol, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
James Nichol, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nichol Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Beecroft Nichol, who arrived in Alabama in 1920 2

Nichol migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nichol Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Harman Nichol, who landed in Canada in 1840

Nichol migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Nichol Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Jane Nichol, (Nicholl), (b. 1789), aged 37, Irish house servant who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 1 child 3
John Nichol, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Tomatin" in 1840 4
Jane Nichol, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Tomatin" in 1840 4
Richard Nichol, aged 34, a farmer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Standard" 5
James Nichol, aged 31, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "John Bunyan" 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nichol migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Nichol Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Nichol, aged 23, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 7
Sarah Nichol, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 7
Thomas Nichol, aged 6 mths., who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 7
Enoch Nichol, aged 32, a mason, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Sarah Nichol, aged 32, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Nichol (post 1700) +

Joseph McGinty "McG" Nichol (b. 1968), American film director
William M. Nichol, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 5th District, 1920 8
William Nichol (1800-1878), American politician, Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, 1835-36 8
Thaddeus Nichol, American politician, Postmaster at Middletown, Connecticut, 1807-16 8
Fred Joseph Nichol (1912-1996), American Democratic Party politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 13th District, 1951-52, 1957-58; Candidate for South Dakota State Attorney General, 1954 8
Jean Nichol (1944-2020), stage name of Louis Simoneau, a Canadian singer and songwriter
Gene Nichol, former College of William & Mary president
Scott Nichol (b. 1974), Canadian NHL ice hockey player
Phil Nichol, Canadian comedian
John Pringle Nichol FRSE (1804-1859), Scottish astronomer
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Nichol family +

HMS Royal Oak

Gerald Nichol (d. 1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 9

RMS Lusitania

Miss Mary F. Nichol, Scottish 2nd Class passenger from Scotland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 10

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TOMATIN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Tomatin.htm
South Australian Register Friday 14 October 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Standard 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/standard1853.shtml
South Australian Register Wednesday 24th May 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) John Bunyan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/johnbunyan1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/