# Nicholas (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/nicholas/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “victory”, “people” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɪk.ə.ləs/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Colin, Cole, Nick, Niki, Coll, Nicky, Nico, Collin, Nicki, Nicko |
| Variant spellings | Nicolas, Nickolas, Nikolas, Nicholine |
| US babies named this | 929,199 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 926,047 / 3,152 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 16,217, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Nicholas, from Old French Nicholas, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος (Nikólaos), from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) + λαός (laós, “people”).

## What it means

Nicholas is grouped under victory.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 14 | 8,876 |
| 2008 | 21 | 6,506 |
| 2009 | 18 | 7,270 |
| 2010 | 11 | 10,275 |
| 2011 | 15 | 8,095 |
| 2012 | 8 | 13,117 |
| 2013 | 13 | 8,926 |
| 2014 | 12 | 9,394 |
| 2015 | 7 | 14,088 |
| 2016 | 6 | 15,703 |
| 2017 | 6 | 15,416 |
| 2019 | 8 | 12,127 |
| 2020 | 5 | 16,841 |
| 2022 | 6 | 14,816 |
| 2025 | 8 | 11,640 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 8,601 | 42 |
| 2012 | 7,742 | 49 |
| 2013 | 7,147 | 54 |
| 2014 | 6,779 | 57 |
| 2015 | 6,263 | 62 |
| 2016 | 5,765 | 63 |
| 2017 | 5,372 | 68 |
| 2018 | 4,847 | 74 |
| 2019 | 4,642 | 78 |
| 2020 | 4,065 | 87 |
| 2021 | 3,866 | 92 |
| 2022 | 3,643 | 97 |
| 2023 | 3,261 | 109 |
| 2024 | 3,038 | 117 |
| 2025 | 3,115 | 112 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 398 | 148 |
| 2012 | 397 | 149 |
| 2013 | 417 | 141 |
| 2014 | 413 | 139 |
| 2015 | 410 | 140 |
| 2016 | 388 | 151 |
| 2017 | 398 | 147 |
| 2018 | 356 | 157 |
| 2019 | 408 | 139 |
| 2020 | 303 | 176 |
| 2021 | 321 | 166 |
| 2022 | 287 | 176 |
| 2023 | 245 | 201 |
| 2024 | 236 | 211 |
| 2025 | 234 | 214 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: نِقُولَا, نِيقُولَا, نِيقُولَاوُس
- Armenian: Նիկողայոս, Նիկողոս, Նիկոլ
- Bulgarian: Никола, Николай
- Catalan: Nicolau, Micolau
- Chinese: 尼古拉斯, 尼各老
- Czech: Mikuláš, Mikoláš, Nikola
- Danish: Niels, Niklas
- Dutch: Nicolaas
- Esperanto: Nikolao
- Finnish: Niilo, Niko
- French: Nicolas
- Georgian: ნიკოლოზ
- German: Nikolaus, Klaus
- Greek: Νικόλαος, Νικόλας
- Hindi: निकोलस
- Hungarian: Miklós
- Icelandic: Nikulás
- Irish: Nioclás
- Italian: Nicola, Niccolò
- Japanese: ニコラス

## People named Nicholas

- Nicholas Hoult, English actor (born 1989)
- Nicholas Sparks, American writer and novelist
- Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher, diplomat, and educator (1862-1947)
- Nicholas Winton, British stockbroker who saved 669 Jewish children during 1938–39 (1909–2015)
- Nicholas Ray, American film director (1911-1979)
- Nicholas Latifi, Canadian racing driver (born 1995)
- Nicholas Galitzine, British actor (born 1994)
- Nicholas Negroponte, American computer scientist (born 1943)
- Nicholas Brendon, American actor (1971–2026)
- Theodore Nicholas Gill, American biologist (1837–1914)
- Nicholas D'Agosto, American actor
- Nicholas Braun, American actor (born 1988)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.