Nicolas
A French form of Nicholas, ultimately from Greek words meaning “victory” and “people.”
The #3,951 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,282 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nicolas is a French form of Nicholas, from Greek Nikolaos. The name is usually explained as a compound of nikē, “victory,” and laos, “people,” giving the sense “victory of the people” or “victorious people.” In surname use, it developed as a hereditary family name from a personal name.
History
Historical sources note Nicolas as a common French surname, and one 19th-century authority also links a notable English/Norman family with Breton roots to the name. In Britain it appears in records alongside Nicholas and Nicol, reflecting the way the given name spread and generated surnames in different spellings. The surname is especially associated with French and Breton usage, and later with families who settled in England.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Greek name underlying Nicolas also gave English the very familiar surname Nicholas, so the two forms are closely related rather than separate names.
From the historical record
“surnames. NICOLAS (Gr.) Victorious People or Army [Gr. N«(i\aos — vUir (vUioi, to conquer ; vlKiii victory) + Xais, the people, army] Nicolas is a very common French sur- name. NICOLET= Nicol (q.v.)-l- the Fr. dim. suff. -rf. NICOLIN = Nicol (q.v.)+the Fr. dim. svS.-in.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)