2000
#28,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Nicklaus
A surname of German origin derived from the given name Nicholas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 883 Americans carry the last name Nicklaus. That puts it at #32,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 388,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nicklaus 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.
Bearers in the US
883
1 in 388,170
Census rank
#32,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
770
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 770 bearers of the surname Nicklaus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicklaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nicklaus
The surname NICKLAUS originated in Germany, specifically in the south-western region of Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. The name is derived from the German personal name Nikolaus, which in turn comes from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NICKLAUS can be found in the Codex Hirsaugiensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of Hirsau, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg. The name appears in its various spellings, such as Nicklaus, Nicklaws, and Niclas.
In the 14th century, the name NICKLAUS was relatively widespread in the region around the city of Stuttgart. Historical records from that time, such as tax rolls and guild registers, mention several individuals with this surname, including Hans Nicklaus, a baker who lived in Stuttgart in the late 1300s.
The name NICKLAUS gained further prominence in the 15th century, when it was borne by notable figures like Kunz Nicklaus, a weaver and guild master in the city of Esslingen am Neckar, who lived from around 1420 to 1483.
In the 16th century, the surname NICKLAUS was associated with the town of Vaihingen an der Enz, located in the modern-day district of Ludwigsburg. One of the earliest known bearers of the name from this area was Jerg Nicklaus, a farmer who was born around 1540.
Over the centuries, the NICKLAUS surname has been connected to several notable individuals. One of the most famous bearers of this name is Jack Nicklaus, the legendary American professional golfer, born in 1940. Known as the "Golden Bear," he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, having won a record 18 major championships.
Other notable individuals with the surname NICKLAUS include Johann Nicklaus (1749-1833), a German composer and organist; Johann Konrad Nicklaus (1735-1784), a Swiss painter and engraver; and Georg Nicklaus (1828-1905), a German-American brewer and industrialist who founded the Nicklaus Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicklaus
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicklaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nicklaus 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 Nicklaus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 732
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 22
- Two or more races1.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nicklaus
Nicklaus 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
#29,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 811
+17 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 872 places
2020
#32,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 770
-41 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 2,903 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,326 | 794 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,198 | 811 | 0.27 | +17 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 872 places |
| 2020 | #32,101 | 770 | 0.26 | -41 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 2,903 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 Nicklaus 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 | #29,198 | #32,101 | -9.9% |
| Count | 811 | 770 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.26 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nicklaus bearers went from 811 to 770 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 2,903 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,198 to #32,101.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nicklaus
FAQ
Nicklaus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nicklaus?
Name Census estimates that about 883 living Americans carry the surname Nicklaus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 388,170 residents.
How common is Nicklaus?
Nicklaus ranks #32,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 770 people with the surname Nicklaus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (883), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nicklaus.
Has Nicklaus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nicklaus went from 811 recorded bearers to 770. That is a decrease of 41 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,198 to #32,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Nicklaus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicklaus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Nicklaus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nicklaus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Nicklaus (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 Nicklaus mean?
A surname of German origin derived from the given name Nicholas. 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 Nicklaus (0.26 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 share the surname Nicklaus?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.