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Nicolas History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Nicolas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
France
Germany
Ireland

The history of the name Nicolas began when it was derived from The surname Nicolas is a patronymic surname, belonging to the category of surnames known as hereditary surnames. Nicolas is derived from the personal name Nicholas. It was a popular given name in the Middle Ages. This surname came to England with the Bretons, who accompanied Duke William of Normandy when he invaded England in 1066. The Bretons were from the peninsula of Brittany in the northwest of France. Formerly known as Armorica, a possession of the Roman Empire, this land consists of a plateau with a deeply indented coast and is broken by hills in the west. However, the region was renamed Britannia Minor by the Romans, following the emigration of six thousand Britons across the English Channel, an event which took place at the behest of the Roman Commander in Britain.

Early Origins of the Nicolas family

The surname Nicolas was first found in Cornwall; although in early times another branch of the family was established at West Horsley in Surrey. "The east window contains some very ancient stained glass; and there are two handsome monuments to the Nicholas family, one of whom, Sir Edward, was secretary of state to Charles I. and II." 1

Early History of the Nicolas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicolas research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1525, 1593, 1594, 1595, 1611, 1657, 1658, 1661, 1667 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Nicolas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicolas Spelling Variations

There are many spelling variations of Breton surnames, because the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find references to one individual with many different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Nicholas, Nicholl, Nichol, Nicholls, Nicolas and many more.

Early Notables of the Nicolas family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was Matthew Nicholas (1594-1661), English Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London; Sir Edward Nicholas (1593-1669), an English office holder and politician...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nicolas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicolas World Ranking

In the United States, the name Nicolas is the 6,636^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Nicolas is ranked the 884^th most popular surname. 3 And in France, the name Nicolas is the 40^th popular surname with an estimated 45,351 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Nicolas family to Ireland

Some of the Nicolas family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicolas migration to the United States +

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Nicolas arrived in North America very early:

Nicolas Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Augustine Nicolas, (Austin, Austen), who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 aboard the ship "Fortune" 5

Nicolas Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Nicolas, who landed in Virginia in 1703 5
Claude Nicolas, aged 19, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 5
Johannes Nicolas, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 5
Francois Nicolas, who landed in Annapolis, Maryland in 1763 5
Antoine Nicolas, who arrived in Mobile, AL in 1786
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicolas Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jose Nicolas, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 5
Alexander Nicolas, aged 29, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 5
Catalina Nicolas, aged 22, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1841 5
Nicolas Nicolas, aged 26, who landed in Missouri in 1849 5
William Nicolas, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicolas migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nicolas Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Etienne Nicolas who arrived in Quebec in 1750 from Aunis near Bordeaux

Nicolas migration to Australia +

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

Nicolas Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Jane Nicolas, (b. 1825), aged 24, Cornish dairymaid departing from Plymouth21st December 1848 aboard the ship "General Palmer" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 10th April 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Nicolas (post 1700) +

Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1799-1848), English antiquary, made a knight of the Royal Guelphic Order, and a chancellor and knight-commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1832
François Nicolas de Salomon, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 7
Jean Nicolas, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Paul Nicolas (1899-1959), French football player
Auguste Nicolas (1807-1888), French Roman Catholic apologetical writer
Jean Edouard Marie Nicolas (1913-1978), French football player
Frank Nicolas Piasecki (1919-2008), American engineer and helicopter aviation pioneer
Mr. David Nicolas Whal M.B.E., British recipient of Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to UK/France relations 9
Dr. Robert Nicolas Gent C.B.E. (b. 1960), British Consultant for Health Protection and Deputy Head for Emergency Response Department for Public Health England, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Health Protection 10
Peter Nicolas Eastgate (b. 1985), Danish poker player, winner of the Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker

Historic Events for the Nicolas family +

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Elias Nicolas (b. 1858), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 11

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, September 11) FranÃ§ois Nicolas. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, June 16) Jean Nicolas. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm