2000
#2,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,409
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.71
Uncommon Last name
Nickerson
An English occupational surname referring to the son of a man named Nicholas or Nick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,075 Americans carry the last name Nickerson. That puts it at #2,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,073 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nickerson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nickerson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,073
Census rank
#2,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,890 bearers of the surname Nickerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nickerson
The surname Nickerson is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where it first appeared in the late 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English personal name "Nicolson," a diminutive form of "Nicolas," which itself comes from the Greek name "Nikolaos," meaning "victorious people."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a census-like record from 1273, which mentions a "William Nicholson." Furthermore, the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327 include a reference to a "John Nicholson," indicating the widespread use of the name in that region during the medieval period.
In the 15th century, the surname began to take on various spellings, such as "Nicholson," "Nicholsonn," and "Nicholsonne," reflecting the fluid nature of spelling conventions at the time. One notable bearer of the name was John Nicholson, a yeoman from Norfolk who lived around 1430.
As the name spread across England, it also became associated with certain place names. For instance, the village of Nickerson in Lincolnshire is believed to have derived its name from a landowner or prominent resident with the surname Nickerson in the 16th or 17th century.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the Nickerson surname are:
1. William Nickerson (c. 1604-1679), one of the earliest English settlers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who arrived in the 1630s and established a family lineage that continues to this day.
2. Sir Nathaniel Nickerson (1683-1758), a British naval officer and Member of Parliament for Peterborough, known for his service in the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession.
3. Mary Nickerson (1776-1858), an American painter and author from Massachusetts, renowned for her portraits and her book "Reminiscences of New England Life."
4. Edward Nickerson (1807-1888), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Dramatic College and the Church of St. Saviour in Paddington.
5. Abraham Nickerson (1834-1916), an American businessman and philanthropist from Chicago, who founded the Nickerson Seed Company and donated funds for the construction of several educational institutions.
While the Nickerson surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nickerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nickerson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nickerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 10,998
- Black or African American17.3% · 2,569
- Two or more races4.1% · 608
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 543
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nickerson
Nickerson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,970
+561 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 5.41
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#2,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,890
-1,080 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 4.98
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,162 | 15,409 | 5.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,283 | 15,970 | 5.41 | +561 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #2,391 | 14,890 | 4.98 | -1,080 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 108 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nickerson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,283 | #2,391 | -4.7% |
| Count | 15,970 | 14,890 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.41 | 4.98 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nickerson bearers went from 15,970 to 14,890 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,283 to #2,391.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nickerson
FAQ
Nickerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nickerson?
Name Census estimates that about 17,075 living Americans carry the surname Nickerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,073 residents.
How common is Nickerson?
Nickerson ranks #2,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,890 people with the surname Nickerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,075), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Nickerson.
Has Nickerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nickerson went from 15,970 recorded bearers to 14,890. That is a decrease of 1,080 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,283 to #2,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Nickerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nickerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nickerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (10,998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nickerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Black (17.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nickerson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nickerson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to the son of a man named Nicholas or Nick. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nickerson (4.98 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Nickerson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.