Nicolai History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
France
Italy

The surname Nicolai was a patronymic name created from the personal name Nicola, or Nicholas. The Italian name Nicola is itself derived from the Latin Nicolaus, and ultimately the Greek Nikolaos, which is composed of the elements "nikan," which means "to win," and "laos," meaning "people." As a personal name, versions of this name are found throughout Europe due to devotion to several saints who bore the name, especially Saint Nicholas. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. In Italy the popularity of the patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures.

Early Origins of the Nicolai family

The surname Nicolai was first found in the historically rich region of Venice. The surname Nicolai has its origins in the city of Verona, which lies about halfway between Venice and Milan, in the region of Veneto.

The Nichesola family in 1162 was part of the nobility of Verona, and maintained their status in the noble council until 1406 when the title was taken away. The title was renewed, with apologies from the court, four hundred years later. The Nicola family in Venice in the 12th century was one of the most ancient and most noble families in the city at the time.

In 1184 Marco Nicola was given the title of Bishop of the Castle and contributed to the beauty of the city by having erected the church and monastery of St. Andrea.

Early History of the Nicolai family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicolai research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1364, 1437, 1463, 1563, 1724, 1762, 1785, 1842 and 1887 are included under the topic Early Nicolai History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicolai Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: DeNicola, Niccola, Niccolai, Niccoli, Niccolini, Niccolo, Niccolucci, Nicola, Nicolai, Nicolao, Nicolato, Nicolella, Nicoletti, Nicoli, Nicolicchia, Nicolich, Nicolini, Nicolli, Nicolo, Nicolodi, Nicolucci, Nicolussi, Nicora, Nicorelli, Nicorini, Nichesola and many more.

Early Notables of the Nicolai family

Prominent among members of the family was Niccolò de' Niccoli (1364-1437) was an Italian Renaissance humanist who was born and died in Florence. Giovanni Nicola, was an Archbishop in the 15th century in Amalfi, who later became the Archbishop of Verdun and the patriarch of Athens. In Pisa in the 16th century Agnolo Niccolini was created Archbishop and then Cardinal of the S. R. Church in 1563. The Nichelli family played an important role in the development of the famous Venetian glassware. They were official citizens of Murano, an island of Venice which, along with its sister island Burano, is famous today...
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nicolai Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicolai Ranking

In the United States, the name Nicolai is the 14,806^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Nicolai is ranked the 3,102^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

Nicolai migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nicolai Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Nicolai, who settled in America sometime between 1750 and 1753
Anna Nicolai, who landed in America in 1750-1753 3

Nicolai Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

I M Nicolai, aged 27, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 3
John H Nicolai, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1837 3
Jakob Nicolai, who landed in Brazil in 1846 3
J H Nicolai, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 3
Anna Maria Luise Nicolai, who landed in America in 1854 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicolai 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:

Nicolai Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss N. Nicolai, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Benvenue" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 24th February 1878 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Nicolai (post 1700) +

John George Nicolai, biographer of Abraham Lincoln
Rena Nicolai, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1956, 1964 5
Matthew Nicolai, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alaska, 2000 5
Gregory Nicolai, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 2012 5
Charles H. Nicolai, American politician, Delegate to Maryland State Constitutional Convention, 1867; Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Baltimore County, 1867-68 5
Norica Nicolai (b. 1958), Romanian lawyer and politician
Carl Otto Nicolai (1810-1849), German composer and conductor
Christoph Friedrich Nicolai (1733-1811), German writer and bookseller
Asmus Nicolai Clausen (1911-1943), German U-boat commander of the Second World War who is credited with sinking 23 ships
Johan Nicolai Madvig (1804-1886), Danish classical scholar and statesman

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html