Nichols
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Nicholas," from the medieval personal name Nicholas.
The #189 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,121 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nichols is a surname formed from the personal name Nicholas. Nicholas itself comes from the Greek name Nikolaos, built from elements meaning "victory" and "people." In English use, Nichols developed as a family name meaning "Nicholas’s son" or, more loosely, "descendant of Nicholas."
History
The surname is common in England and later spread widely in the English-speaking world. Historical forms include Nichol, Nicholls, Nicholson, and related variants that all point back to the same Christian name. Because Nicholas was a very popular medieval given name, the surname arose independently in more than one place.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nichols and Nicholls are often regional or family spelling variants of the same underlying surname, rather than completely separate names.
From the historical record
“basted the joint. ' Baster, one who bastes meat. 1595. Churchw. Ace. Heybridge (Nichols, 1197). P- 181, "To she that turned the spitt, Bd. : to the Basteter, ^d. " ' (H. E, D. Baster). JohnleBeHef.co. H>inta,ii7J. A.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances