Nickolas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Nickolas

What does the name Nickolas mean?

The saga of the name Nickolas begins among the Viking settlers who arrived in Scotland in the medieval era. The name Nickolas is derived from from the personal name, Nicholas. Nickolas is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. The surname Nickolas arose out of the religious naming tradition. In Christian countries, the name Nicholas was popular, owing to the legends surrounding the 4th century Lycian bishop of that name. In Catholic countries in particular, this religious figure was revered. This accounts for its popularity as a surname in Scotland. The name Nicholas came from the Greek, Nikolaos, which means conqueror of the people. In Scotland, the earliest bearers of the surname Nickolas lived on the Isle of Skye, which is located on the western coast.

Early Origins of the Nickolas family

The surname Nickolas was first found in on the Isle of Skye, where the first on record was Ottar Snaekollson who was the Chief of the MacNichols and attended the Council of Chiefs, held by MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, at Finlaggan on the Island of Islay about 1240. One of the first records of the name in Scotland was Maucolum fiz Nicol, who rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296 and the Nicholsons of Skye have Englished their name from Macnicol. 1

Early History of the Nickolas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nickolas research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1500, 1607, 1645, 1655, 1694, 1698, 1705, 1713, 1718, 1720, 1725, 1727, 1728 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nickolas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nickolas Spelling Variations

Contemporary spellings of ancient Scottish names often bear little resemblance to the original recorded versions. These spelling variations result from the fact that medieval scribes spelled words and names alike according to their sounds. Nickolas has been spelled MacNichol, MacNicol, MacNicoll, Nicolson, Nicholson, MacNicholas, MacNickle, MacNickel, MacNickell, MacNiccol, MacNychole and many more.

Early Notables of the Nickolas family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was James Nicolson (d. 1607), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland & Bishop of Dunkeld; Thomas Joseph Nicolson (1645-1718), a Roman Catholic bishop, Vicar Apostolic of Scotland (1694-1718); William Nicolson (1655-1727)...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nickolas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nickolas family to Ireland

Some of the Nickolas family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nickolas migration to the United States +

The colonies on the fertile east coast of North America soon had many farms run by Scots. These hardy settlers provided a backbone for the great nations of the United States and Canada that would emerge in the next centuries. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Scottish name Nickolas or a variant listed above, including:

Nickolas Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Nickolas, aged 17, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1741 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Nickolas (post 1700) +

Patrick Nickolas Theros (b. 1941), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, 1995-98 3
Bill Nickolas Georgiou, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 2008; Candidate for Mayor of Kannapolis, North Carolina, 2009 4
Nickolas Cosker, American actor and producer, known for Hangman's Trail (2021), Neon Rage (2021) and Cheese Gone (2021)
Nickolas J. Levasseur, American former Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (2006-2014)
Nickolas Morin Soucy (b. 1984), former professional Canadian football defensive tackle
Nickolas G. Ramus (1929-2007), Native American actor
Nickolas Ashford (1942-2011), American songwriter and recording artist
Nickolas Mays, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Arizona, 1968 5
Nickolas Ries, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 31st District, 1942 6
Nickolas O. Drale, American politician, Mayor of Torrance, California, 1955 7

The Nickolas Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Generositate non ferocitate
Motto Translation: Generous not Ferocious

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html