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Nichols Family History

Nichols Name Meaning

English: variant of Nichol with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. In North America this surname has absorbed various cognates from other languages e.g. Croatian and Serbian Nikolić (see Nikolic ); see also below. Americanized form of various like-sounding Jewish surnames.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Nicholas, Nicholls, Nicholes, Nichol, Nicols, Nickels, Nicolo

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Nichols family from?

You can see how Nichols families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Nichols family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Nichols families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 565 Nichols families living in New York. This was about 22% of all the recorded Nichols's in USA. New York had the highest population of Nichols families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Nichols surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Nichols ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Nichols. 15% of Nichols men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Nichols women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Nichols were Truck Driver and Maid. .

View Census Data for Nichols | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    15%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Teacher
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Maid
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Nichols family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 791,000 census records available for the last name Nichols. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Nichols census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Nichols

Passenger Lists

There are 55,000 immigration records available for the last name Nichols. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 150,000 military records available for the last name Nichols. For the veterans among your Nichols ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Nichols family history

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What is the average Nichols lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Nichols life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Nichols in 1940 was 43, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Nichols

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