Nicholls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Germany 
  Ireland 


The name Nicholls was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the given name Nicholas. Nicholas derives from the Greek Nikolaos, which is made up of the words nikan, meaning to conquer, and laos, meaning people. 1

Early Origins of the Nicholls family

The surname Nicholls was first found in Cheshire, where Nicholas D'Albini, who was of the junior line of the Dukes of D'Albini in Normandy, settled in 1054, and his successor William became Baron of Malpas. Waleram Nicholai was listed in Suffolk in 1198 and Nicholaus was listed in Lincolnshire in 1147-1166. 1 By the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name was scattered as seen by: William filius Nicoll in Shropshire; and John Nicole and Stephen Nichole in Oxfordshire. 2

Some of the family were anciently found in the parish of St. Kew, Cornwall. "Trewane or Trewarne in this parish, was formerly a seat of the Nicholls family. The heiress of Nicholls, whose mother was a daughter of Sir Joseph Tredenham of Tregonan in St. Ewe, married Nicholas Glynn, Esq. and dying in 1771 without surviving issue, bequeathed her mansion and barton of Trewane to Thomas Glynn, Esq. of the borough of Helston." 3

Continuing our quest for family in Cornwall, we found this interesting geneological record: "Trereife [in the parish of Madern] has been the family estate of the Nicholls's from time immemorial. Dr. Nicholls, physician to George II. who opened the body of the king for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of his death, which he described in a paper addressed to the Royal Society, was second son of John Nicholls. This family intermarried with the families of Godolphin and Foote. William John Godolphin Nicholls, Esq. the last survivor of the elder branch of the family, died May 9, 1815, and bequeathed all his estates to his mother." 3

Early History of the Nicholls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicholls research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1500, 1542, 1550, 1555, 1559, 1584, 1587, 1589, 1590, 1616, 1619, 1624, 1630, 1640, 1642, 1648, 1658, 1664, 1668, 1672, 1673, 1678, 1681, 1683, 1687, 1699, 1712, 1727, 1756, 1778, 1779, 1818, 1850 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nicholls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicholls Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Nicholl, Niccolls, Nichel, Nichol, Nicholls, Nichols, Nickel, Nickle, Nickles, Nicolls, Nicol, Nycol, Nuckles and many more.

Early Notables of the Nicholls family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Nicholls World Ranking

In the United States, the name Nicholls is the 5,701st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Nicholls is ranked the 204th most popular surname with an estimated 16,240 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Nicholls is the 246th popular surname with an estimated 2,429 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Nicholls as 211st with 27,095 people. 7

Migration of the Nicholls family to Ireland

Some of the Nicholls family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 129 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Nicholls migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Nicholls or a variant listed above were:

Nicholls Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Nicholls Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Nicholls Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Nicholls Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Nicholls migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nicholls Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Nicholls migration to Australia +

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

Nicholls Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Nicholls Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Nicholls 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:

Nicholls Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Nicholls 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. 16
Nicholls Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Nicholls (post 1700) +


The Nicholls Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fide sed cui vide
Motto Translation: Trust, but in whom take care.
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