Nickels
A surname generally treated as a variant of Nicholas, and in some sources as a shortened or altered form of Nickinson/Nicholson.
The #6,814 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,385 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most 19th-century surname dictionaries connect Nickels with Nicholas, the medieval personal name from Greek Nikolaos, meaning “victory of the people.” In English surname development, that name produced many forms such as Nichol, Nichols, Nicholson, and Nickels. Some writers also treat Nickels as a contracted or altered form related to Nickinson or Nicholson.
History
The surname appears in English records as one of several regional and spelling variants of Nicholas-based surnames. Guppy noted Nickels as a relatively rare form, with examples in places such as Devonshire, alongside better-known relatives like Nichols and Nickolls. Later surname writers repeated the same broad explanation rather than suggesting a separate origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname books sometimes filed Nickels under both Nicholas and Nicholson, showing how flexible spelling and naming patterns were before modern standardization.
From the historical record
“NICKALLS NICKELS NICKOLDS NiCKOLLS NiCKOLS NICKERSON, a connipt form of Nickinson and Nicholson, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)