Nickerson is a surname. Notable people with this surname include:

Business

• Albert Nickerson (1911–1994), American executive with Mobil Oil, grandson of Albert W. Nickerson
• Albert W. Nickerson (1840–1893), American railroad executive, nephew of Thomas and grandfather of Albert
• Thomas Nickerson (ATSF) (1810–1892), American railroad executive, uncle of Albert W. Nickerson
• William Nickerson Jr. (1879–1945), Los Angeles-based businessman and founder of Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company
• William Emery Nickerson (1853–1930), American inventor and vice-president of The Gillette Company

Law and politics

• Bruce William Nickerson (1941–2022), American civil rights and gay rights attorney
• Dave Nickerson (born 1944), Canadian politician from Northwest Territories
• Eugene Nickerson (1918–2002), Democratic county executive of Nassau County, New York, and a federal district court judge
• William M. Nickerson (born 1933), American judge in Maryland

Merchants

• Ernest Reginald Nickerson (1876–1956), Canadian merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia
• Maurice Nickerson (1865–1936), Canadian general merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia; son of Moses H. Nickerson
• Smith Nickerson (1860–1954), Canadian merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia

Military

• Franklin S. Nickerson (1826–1917), Union general during the American Civil War
• Henry Nehemiah Nickerson (1888–1979), American Medal of Honor recipient
• Herman Nickerson Jr. (1913–2000), United States Marine Corps general
• John C. Nickerson Jr. (1915–1964), United States Army colonel charged under the Espionage Act
• William Henry Snyder Nickerson (1875–1954), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross

Sports

• Gaylon Nickerson (born 1969), American basketball player
• Hardy Nickerson (born 1965), American football player and coach
• Hardy Nickerson Jr. (born 1994), American football player
• Jonah Nickerson (born 1985), American baseball player
• Matt Nickerson (born 1985), American ice hockey player
• Parry Nickerson (born 1994), American football player
• Troy Nickerson, American wrestler
• Victor J. Nickerson (1928–2004), American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer

Writing

• Billeh Nickerson (born 1972), Canadian writer, editor, and producer
• Raymond S. Nickerson, American psychologist and author
• Sheila Nickerson (born 1942), American poet and writer
• Sylvia Nickerson, Canadian comic book writer

Other

• Camille Nickerson (1888–1982), American pianist, composer, and college professor
• Deborah Nickerson (1954–2021), American human genomics researcher
• Denise Nickerson (1957–2019), American actress who portrayed Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
• Dorothy Nickerson (1900–1985), American color scientist and technologist
• Edward I. Nickerson (1845–1908), American architect
• Freeman Nickerson (1779–1847), early missionary in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and a member of Zion's Camp
• Jackson Nickerson (born 1962), American academic
• Joseph Nickerson (1914–1990), English farmer and entrepreneur
• Linus M. Nickerson (1823–1888), American minister, Army chaplain, and Indian agent
• Lyra B. Nickerson (1886 -1916)]], American heiress and philanthropist
• Moses H. Nickerson (1844–1943), Canadian journalist, poet and political figure in Nova Scotia; father of Maurice Nickerson
• Thomas Nickerson (1805–1883), cabin boy aboard the whaling ship Essex whose sinking was the inspiration for Herman Melville's Moby Dick