The roots of the name Niccol come from the Viking settlers of ancient
Scotland. The name was derived from from the
personal name,
Nicholas. Niccol is a
patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of
hereditary surnames. The surname Niccol arose out of the religious naming tradition. In Christian countries, the name Nicholas was popular, owing to the legends surrounding the 4th century Lycian bishop of that name. In Catholic countries in particular, this religious figure was revered. This accounts for its popularity as a surname in Scotland. The name Nicholas came from the Greek,
Nikolaos, which means
conqueror of the people. In
Scotland, the earliest bearers of the surname Niccol lived on the Isle of
Skye, which is located on the western coast.
Early Origins of the Niccol family
The surname Niccol was first found in on the Isle of
Skye, where the first on record was Ottar Snaekollson who was the Chief of the MacNichols and attended the Council of Chiefs, held by MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, at Finlaggan on the Island of
Islay about 1240. One of the first records of the name in
Scotland was Maucolum fiz Nicol, who rendered homage to
King Edward I of
England in 1296 and the Nicholsons of
Skye have Englished their name from Macnicol.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Early History of the Niccol family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Niccol research.
Another 229 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1500, 1607, 1645, 1718, 1694, 1718, 1655, 1727, 1655, 1728, 1694, 1698, 1698, 1705, 1713, 1720 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Niccol History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Niccol Spelling Variations
Medieval scribes most often spelled names by the way they sounded.
spelling variations, are thus, very common in records dating from that time. Over the years, Niccol has been spelled MacNichol, MacNicol, MacNicoll, Nicolson, Nicholson, MacNicholas, MacNickle, MacNickel, MacNickell, MacNiccol, MacNychole and many more.
Early Notables of the Niccol family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the
Clan from early times was James Nicolson (d. 1607), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland & Bishop of Dunkeld; Thomas Joseph Nicolson (1645-1718), a Roman Catholic bishop, Vicar Apostolic of
Scotland (1694-1718); William Nicolson (1655-1727)...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Niccol Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Niccol family to Ireland
Some of the Niccol family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Niccol family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Niccol Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- J. Niccol, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880
Contemporary Notables of the name Niccol (post 1700)
- Anthony Niccol, American politician, Burgess of Bristol, Pennsylvania, 1954-56 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Andrew M. Niccol (b. 1964), New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director
The Niccol 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: Generositate
Motto Translation: By Generosity.