The youngest son of John Nicoll, he was born at Monymusk, Aberdeenshire, 3 April 1793.
[1] Nicoll began oriental studies in 1813, and was later appointed sub-librarian in the Bodleian Library.
In 1822 he succeeded Richard Laurence as Regius Professor of Hebrew and canon of Christ Church, Oxford; and was made D.C.L.
[1] Nicoll's main work was his catalogues of the oriental manuscripts in the Bodleian Library.
[1] Nicoll was twice married—first to Johanna Felborg, who died in 1816 within days of the marriage;[3] and, secondly, to Sophia, daughter of James Parsons, the editor of the Oxford Septuagint’ who prepared a posthumous volume of Nicoll's sermons, with memoir, in 1830.