Show ContentsNickelsen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Nickelsen surname comes from the German personal name Nikolaus.

Early Origins of the Nickelsen family

The surname Nickelsen 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 Nickelsen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nickelsen 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 Nickelsen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nickelsen Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Nickelsen 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 Nickelsen family

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


United States Nickelsen migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Nickelsen were

Nickelsen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Boye Peter Nickelsen, who landed in New York in 1850 1


  1. 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)


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