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Nice History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Nice History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name Nice. It is a name for someone who lived in any of a number of places called Ness, in Scotland and England. In this case, the surname Nice comes from the Old English word, ness, which means headland. Thus, the surname Nice means someone "from the headland." However, some references claim the name came from the Gaelic personal name Ness.

Early Origins of the Nice family

The surname Nice was first found in Fife, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Nice family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nice research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1093, 1153, 1160, 1180, 1260 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nice History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nice Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Nice include Ness, Nesse, Nessan, Neeson and others.

Early Notables of the Nice family

More information is included under the topic Early Nice Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nice Ranking

In the United States, the name Nice is the 10,039^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Nice family to Ireland

Some of the Nice family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nice migration to the United States +

Scots left their country by the thousands to travel to Australia and North America. Desperate for freedom and an opportunity to fend for themselves, many paid huge fees and suffered under terrible conditions on long voyages. Still, for those who made the trip, freedom and opportunity awaited. In North America, many fought their old English oppressors in the American War of Independence. In recent years, Scottish heritage has been an increasingly important topic, as Clan societies and other organizations have renewed people's interest in their history. An examination of passenger and immigration lists shows many early settlers bearing the name of Nice:

Nice Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Barbara Nice, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
Barbara Nice, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
Jacob Wilhelm Nice, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
Mathias Nice, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1740 2
Dewald Nice, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1740 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nice Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Archibald Nice, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Piotr Nice, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895

Nice Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Walter F. Nice, aged 7, who landed in America, in 1905
Harry Nice, aged 44, who settled in America from London, in 1906
John Nice, aged 32, who landed in America, in 1909
Leonidas Nice, aged 57, who immigrated to America, in 1909
Anna L. Nice, aged 42, who landed in America, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nice migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nice Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

A J Nice, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
Harry Nice, aged 30, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1909

Contemporary Notables of the name Nice (post 1700) +

Margaret Morse Nice (1883-1974), American ornithologist and author of Studies in the Life History of the Song Sparrow (1937)
Harry Whinna Nice (1877-1941), American politician, 50th Governor of Maryland (1935 to 1939)
J. O. Van Nice, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Dakota, 1936 3
Mary Louise Nice (b. 1911), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1940, 1944 (alternate), 1956; Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 42nd District, 1948, 1950 4
John J. Nice, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Indianapolis, Indiana, 1962 (acting, 1962) 4
Harry Whinna III Nice (b. 1935), American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Baltimore city 3rd District, 1967-70 4
Harry Whinna Nice (1877-1941), American Republican politician, Governor of Maryland, 1935-39; Defeated, 1919, 1938; Candidate for Republican nomination for Vice President, 1936; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Maryland, 1940 4
Frank M. Nice, American Democratic Party politician, Burgess of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, 1906-09 4
Deirdre Nice, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1996 4
Deeley K. Nice (1910-1956), American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, 1947; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1948, 1952; judge, Baltimore City Supreme Bench, 1954-56 4
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Nice family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Reginald Bertie S. Nice, English Barber from Fleetwood, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 5

Citations +

"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/