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Nicolas Family History

Nicolas Surname Meaning

Spanish (Nicolás) French Walloon Breton and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the personal name Nicolás (Spanish) Nicolas (French Breton) from Greek Nikolaos (see Nicholas). In France this surname is most common in Brittany.

English (southern England and Glamorgan): variant of Nicholas. Greek: from a variant of the personal name Nikola(o)s (see Nicholas) or in most cases an (American) shortened form of any of various Greek derivatives of this personal name e.g. Nikolaidis or Nikolaides, which are also spelled Nicolaidis and Nicolaides.

See also Nikolas compare Nicola. Americanized form of Croatian and Serbian Nikolaš (see Nikolas) or of any of various Serbian Macedonian or Bulgarian patronymics from the personal name Nikola ‘Nicholas’; see Nickolas compare Nicola.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Nicolas family from?

You can see how Nicolas families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Nicolas family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Nicolas families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 163 Nicolas families living in Quebec. This was about 86% of all the recorded Nicolas's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Nicolas families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Nicolas surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Nicolas ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Mnagre were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Nicolas. 35% of Nicolas men worked as a Farmer and 50% of Nicolas women worked as a Mnagre. Some less common occupations for Americans named Nicolas were Laborer and Religieuse.

View Census Data for Nicolas | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    35%
  • Labourer
    18%
  • Journalier
    18%
  • Laborer
    14%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Mnagre
    50%
  • Religieuse
    50%

What Nicolas family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 23,000 census records available for the last name Nicolas. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Nicolas census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Nicolas

Passenger Lists

There are 17,000 immigration records available for the last name Nicolas. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Nicolas immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Nicolas. For the veterans among your Nicolas ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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