Nicholson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Nicholas.”
The #575 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,309 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nicholson is an English patronymic surname built from the personal name Nicholas, with -son meaning “son of.” Nicholas ultimately comes from Greek Nikolaos, usually understood as “victory of the people” or “people’s victory.” In plain terms, Nicholson originally meant “Nicholas’s son.”
History
The name is well established in England, especially in the north, and 19th-century writers noted strong associations with Northumberland and Cumberland. Some older surname scholars also suggested that certain families may have come from an Anglo-Norman Fitz-Nigel line, but the standard explanation remains descent from the given name Nicholas. Variants and related forms include Nicholls, Nicolson, Nickerson, and Nixon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname belongs to a very large family of names built from Nicholas, one of the most productive medieval given names in English and Scottish surname formation.
From the historical record
“N!cH§Lfgs}NiCHOL(L)'s(Son) NICHOLSON, Nichol's Son v.Nichol(l. NICK, a dim. of Nicolas, q.v. for Nicol, q.v. NICKALL NICKEL(L”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)