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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Nicholas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Nicholas family

The surname Nicholas was first found in Austria, where the family was anciently associated with the political and religious conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. The family founded numerous branches, many of which acquired manors and estates in surrounding regions, where they contributed to the prosperity of their society. The name refers to St. Nickolaus, the patron saint of seafaring merchants and the protector of children.

Early History of the Nicholas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicholas research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1339, 1402, 1417, 1809 and 1947 are included under the topic Early Nicholas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicholas Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Nicholas include Nicholas, Nickelas, Nicholaus, Nicolaus, Nicolas, Nichlas, Nicklas, Niclas, Niklas, Nikolaus, Nikelaus, Nickelaus, Nickolaus and many more.

Early Notables of the Nicholas family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Nicholas were Nikolaus von der Fluee (1417-87), who was a Swiss hermit, and was canonized in 1947. Nikolaus von Jeroschin was a priest of the Teutonic Order. He wrote a life of St. Adalbert and a verse...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nicholas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicholas World Ranking

In the United States, the name Nicholas is the 1,384^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Nicholas is ranked the 561^st most popular surname with an estimated 6,821 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Nicholas is the 426^th popular surname with an estimated 1,564 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Nicholas as 698^th with 9,585 people. 4

Nicholas migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Nicholas were

Nicholas Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Austin Nicholas, who arrived in Plymouth in 1621
Austin Nicholas, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 5
Jon Nicholas, who landed in Virginia in 1636 5
Walter Nicholas, who landed in Massachusetts in 1636 5
Richard Nicholas, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicholas Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Nicholas, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1703 5
Edward Nicholas, who landed in Virginia in 1711 5
Sarah Nicholas, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1714 5
Lodwick Nicholas, aged 34, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 5
Jacob Nicholas, who settled in Philadelphia in 1741
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicholas Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel R Nicholas, aged 23, who arrived in Louisiana in 1812 5
Dn Nicholas, aged 27, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1820 5
Robert Nicholas, who landed in New York in 1834 5
Robert H Nicholas, who arrived in New York in 1837 5
Jean Nicholas, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicholas Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Nicholas, Cornish settler, from St Ives, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Majestic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1900 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 6
Mr. William Nicholas, Cornish miner, from St Ives, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Majestic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1900 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 6
Mr. Charles Nicholas, (b. 1881), aged 22, Cornish smith, from Hayle, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 2nd August 1903 en route to Ishpeming, Michigan, USA 6
Mr. Thomas Nicholas, (b. 1881), aged 22, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 26th September 1903 en route to Quinnesec, Michigan, USA 6
Mrs. Mary Ann Nicholas, (b. 1839), aged 64, Cornish settler, from Penzance, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Oceanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th August 1903 en route to Granite City, Illinois, USA 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicholas migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nicholas Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Nicholas, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mrs. Ruth Nicholas U.E. born in Newport, Rhode Island, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 listed as a passenger on Union Transport, she had two children 7
Mr. Samuel Nicholas U.E. who settled in Parr Town, Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was Secretary at Saint John's Lodge A.F & A.M from 1805 to 1806 7

Nicholas Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Nicholas who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Horatio" departing 18th July 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 3rd September 1847 but he died on board 8

Nicholas migration to Australia +

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

Nicholas Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Nicholas, (Nichols), Welsh convict who was convicted in Anglesey, Wales for life, transported aboard the "Caledonia" in 19th June 1822, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Clement Nicholas, English convict who was convicted in Dorset, England for life, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Joseph Nicholas, British Convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for life for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Cyprison Nicholas, (b. 1811), aged 29, Cornish gardener from Penzance, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Earl Grey" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 20th February 1840 12
Thomas Nicholas, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1847 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Nicholas 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:

Nicholas Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Nicholas (Nichols), British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 14
Mrs. Ann Nicholas (Nichols) née Mckenzie, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 14
Alexander Nicholas, aged 16, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1850
Mr. James Nicholas, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Royal Albert" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 6th March 1853 14
Mr. Edwin Owen Nicholas, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Harkaway" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 2nd June 1857 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Nicholas (post 1700) +

Peter M. Nicholas (1941-2022), American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded medical device firm Boston Scientific in 1979
Albert O. "Ab" Nicholas (1931-2016), American chairman, CEO, and portfolio manager of Nicholas Company, Inc
Brigadier-General Richard Ulysses Nicholas (1890-1953), American Engineer, 2nd Army (1945-1946) 16
Wilson Cary Nicholas (1761-1820), American politician, governor of Virginia from 1814-1816
Samuel Nicholas (1744-1790), American Marine Corps officer
Fred Nicholas, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Mexico, 1932. Interment somewhere in Albuquerque, New Mexico 17
Elmer H. Nicholas, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Newaygo District, 1950 17
Elizabeth Nicholas, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 8th District, 1940 (Communist), 1942 17
E. G. Nicholas, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1960 17
Connie Nicholas, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 2004, 2008; Member of Republican National Committee from North Dakota, 2008 17
... (Another 34 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Nicholas family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. C Nicholas, British Leading Cook, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 18

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Charles Nicholas (b. 1860), 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 19
Mr. Henry Nicholas (b. 1864), 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 19

Triangle Waist Company

Miss Annie Nicholas (b. 1893), Russian Jewish garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire 20

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 91)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHOEBE 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Phoebe.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Richard Nicholas. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Nicholas/Richard_Ulysses/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
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
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire