Where the Nichols name comes from

Nichols is an English surname built from Nichol, the everyday medieval form of the given name Nicholas. The final -s is a patronymic suffix, added to Nichol to make the family name. Nicholls, Nickalls, Nickells, Nickels, Nickols and Nicolls are all alternative forms of the same name.

It also has a Scottish side: Nichols serves as an anglicised form of the surname belonging to Clan MacNeacail. Two origins, one English and one Scottish, thus share the single spelling Nichols.