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The origins of the name Nicholsan are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the personal name Nicholas. The Latin form of this name was Nicolaus, and it was derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which is derived from the words nikan, which means to conquer, and laos, which means people. 1 However, the name is best remembered by an American corruption of his name: Santa Claus. The surname Nicholsan uses the patronymic suffix -son.
The surname Nicholsan was first found in Cumberland and Northumberland where "most families of this name trace." 2
"With few exceptions confined to the northern half of England, being most frequent in Cumberland and Northumberland, and afterwards in Durham and in the adjacent parts of Yorkshire. From the north of England the Nicholsons and Nicolsons have extended into the Scottish border counties, especially into Dumfriesshire." 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicholsan research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1443, 1446, 1489, 1544, 1547, 1655, 1663, 1669, 1683, 1688, 1694, 1698, 1712, 1714, 1720, 1725, 1728 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nicholsan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Nicholsan family name include Nicholson, Nichaelson, Nichalson, Nicherson and others.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nicholsan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Nicholsan surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Garret Nicholson, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Alex Nicholson, who settled in Virginia in 1650; as well as George, Jane, John, Phillip Nicholson also settled in Virginia.