Show ContentsNicks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the Nicks family stretch back to the Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands, who were the first to use their surname. It is derived from the personal name Nicholas, which was Nik, or Nikke in Old English.

Early Origins of the Nicks family

The surname Nicks was first found in Cumberland where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Nicks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicks research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1646, 1653, 1662 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nicks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicks Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Nixon, Nicksoun, Nickson, Nicheson, Nickson and others.

Early Notables of the Nicks family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Nixon, English legendary prophet of Cheshire, however, many accounts about him appear to be in conflict with each other, it is generally...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nicks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicks Ranking

In the United States, the name Nicks is the 8,035th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Nicks family to Ireland

Some of the Nicks family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Nicks migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nicks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Nicks, aged 28, who landed in Ohio in 1812 2

Australia Nicks migration to Australia +

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

Nicks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Philip Nicks, aged 37, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

New Zealand Nicks 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:

Nicks Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Nicks, (b. 1838), aged 26, British carpenter travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 3

West Indies Nicks 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. 4
Nicks Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. John Nicks, (b. 1611), aged 23, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Nicks (post 1700) +

  • Hakeem Nicks (b. 1988), American NFL football wide receiver for the New York Giants
  • Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks (b. 1948), American eight-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter, known for her work with Fleetwood Mac, she has produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998
  • Nash Nicks Winstead (b. 1925), American academic


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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