Contents [hide]

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

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Nicks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
Ireland

Etymology of Nicks

What does the name Nicks mean?

The roots of the Nicks family stretch back to the Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands, who were the first to use their surname. It is derived from the personal name Nicholas, which was Nik, or Nikke in Old English and literally translates as "son of Nick." 1

Early Origins of the Nicks family

The surname Nicks was first found in Cumberland, now known as Cumbria in the northern England, bordering the Scottish counties of Dumfriesshire and Roxburghshire to the north. "The name was common on both sides of the Border, perhaps most so in Bewcastle in Cumberland; but as early as 1376 we find a William Nycson occupying lands in the district of Ermyldoune in Liddesdale." 2 William Nykson was one of the "borowis" for the Earl of Douglas's bounds of the West March in 1398. 2

Across the border in England, we find: the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 including Henry Nix Oxfordshire; and William Nix, Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 includes entries for Margareta Nikeson; and William Nicson. 3

In Nottinghamshire, we find Robert Nikkesune in 1309 and the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332 lists John Nickeson as holding lands there at that time. 1

Nixon is numerous in Ulster, especially in Counties Antrim and Fermanagh. The most notable immigrant family of the name settled in Co. Fermanagh in 1609. 4

Early History of the Nicks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicks research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1619, 1620, 1646, 1653, 1662, 1665, 1677, 1811, 1853 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nicks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicks Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Nixon, Nicksoun, Nickson, Nicheson, Nickson, Nekson, Nexson, Nexsoune, Nicksoune, Nicson, Nikson, Niksoun, Niksown, Nixon, Nixoun, Nixson, Nixsone, Nixsoun, Nixsoune, Nycson, Nykson, Nyksone, Nyksoun, Nyksown, Nysson; Plural: Nekesonis, Nekesouns, Neksons, Nexsones, Nexsounes, Nicksons, Nicsons, Niksonis, Niksons, Nixones, Nixons, Nixsonis, Nixsons, Nycsons, Nyksons, Nysons, Nyxons, Nyxsonnes and many more.

Early Notables of the Nicks family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Nixon, English legendary prophet of Cheshire, however, many accounts about him appear to be in conflict with each other, it is generally believed he may have lived in either the 15th or...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nicks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicks Ranking

In the United States, the name Nicks is the 8,035^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Nicks family to Ireland

Some of the Nicks family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 181 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicks migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nicks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Nicks, aged 28, who landed in Ohio in 1812 6

Nicks migration to Australia +

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

Nicks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Philip Nicks, aged 37, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

Nicks 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:

Nicks Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Nicks, (b. 1838), aged 26, British carpenter travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 7

Nicks migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Nicks Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Nicks, (b. 1611), aged 23, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Nicks (post 1700) +

Hakeem Nicks (b. 1988), American NFL football wide receiver for the New York Giants
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks (b. 1948), American eight-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter, known for her work with Fleetwood Mac, she has produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998
Nash Nicks Winstead (b. 1925), American academic

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
"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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies