Nicholas Family History
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Nicholas Name Meaning
English and Dutch: from the personal name (Greek Nikolaos, from nikan ‘to conquer’ + laos ‘people’). Forms with -ch- are due to hypercorrection (compare Anthony). The name in various vernacular forms was popular among Christians throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, largely as a result of the fame of a 4th-century Lycian bishop, about whom a large number of legends grew up, and who was venerated in the Orthodox Church as well as the Catholic. In English-speaking countries, this surname is also found as an Americanized form of various Greek surnames such as Papanikolaou ‘(son of) Nicholas the priest’ and patronymics such as Nikolopoulos.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Similar surnames: Nicolas, Nichols, Nikolas, Nichol, Nicolo, Nicola, Nicholls, Nicholes