Explore the Family Name Nickels
The meaning of Nickels
1. English (Devon): variant of Nickel, with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. 2. German, Luxembourgish, and Dutch: patronymic from Nickel. This surname has died out in the Netherlands. The surname Nickels is also found in the province of Luxembourg and elsewhere in Wallonia (Belgium).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Nickels in the United States?
In terms of popularity, the surname Nickels had a slight decrease in rank from 6770 in the year 2000 to 6814 in 2010, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. This signifies a marginal decline of approximately 0.65%. Despite this drop in rank, the count of individuals bearing the Nickels surname increased by 7.82%, going from 4590 in 2000 to 4949 in 2010. The proportion per 100k also saw a minimal decrease from 1.7 in 2000 to 1.68 in 2010, marking a -1.18% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,770 | #6,814 | -0.65% |
| Count | 4,590 | 4,949 | 7.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.7 | 1.68 | -1.18% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nickels
In terms of ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the surname Nickels identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, with a small drop of 0.73% over the decade. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled from 0.39 to 0.63, an increase of 61.54%. There was a considerable rise in people identifying as Hispanic, up from 1.37 in 2000 to 1.82 in 2010. In contrast, the proportion of individuals identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased significantly by 23.08%. Lastly, there was a minor increase in individuals identifying as Black, moving from 3.92 in 2000 to 4.14 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.66% | 91.98% | -0.73% |
| Black | 3.92% | 4.14% | 5.61% |
| Hispanic | 1.37% | 1.82% | 32.85% |
| Two or More Races | 1.13% | 1.03% | -8.85% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.39% | 0.63% | 61.54% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.52% | 0.4% | -23.08% |
Nickels ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Nickels is British & Irish, which comprises 49.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (29.3%) and Scandinavian (6.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Filipino & Austronesian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.6% |
| French & German | 29.3% |
| Scandinavian | 6.0% |
| Other | 15.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Nickels
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Nickels have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 86.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 86.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 86.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 86.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.30% |
What Nickels haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Nickels is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z7 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bayliss, Toms, Rickman, Michaelis, Grose, Edmunds, Mertens, Peake, Forrester, Haupt.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Nickels surname are: H1, H, T2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Nickels have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Nickels" Surname 41.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Nickels" Surname 24.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Nickels" Surname 28.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Nickels" Surname 22.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Nickels?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Nickels are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition