Fragments of information may be obtained from miscellaneous Census data. Although all of the Irish census data that would be of invaluable help to genealogists has been lost or destroyed, some fragments of the 1851 Census for County Antrim remain. These are presented on this site.
The 1871 Canadian Census refers to the place of origin of the each person, and a collection of people with the name "Nicholl" (or derivatives) who were of Irish origin has been obtained.
The 1881 UK Census Data page is an index of all Nicholl and variant names which appeared on the 1881 UK census. They are arranged in alphabetical order by last name, and contain name, status in household where found, approximate year of birth, country of birth, town or county of birth when declared, and in which section of the 1881 census they can be found.