Nicholas
From the Greek Nikolaos, joining nike, 'victory', with laos, 'people'. The fourth-century bishop Saint Nicholas carried it across Europe.
Nicholas in 2025
Nicholas was given to 3,123 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 196th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 1,062 babies born.
The history of Nicholas
Nicholas reached its highest point in 1995, when 29,216 babies were given the name, ranking 7th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 6th, in 1997.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 929,199 babies have been named Nicholas. Half of them were born before 1992, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Nicholas by decade
| Decade | Babies named Nicholas | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 730 | 351 |
| 1890s | 857 | 440 |
| 1900s | 1,334 | 339 |
| 1910s | 10,253 | 235 |
| 1920s | 13,700 | 271 |
| 1930s | 9,756 | 312 |
| 1940s | 15,531 | 288 |
| 1950s | 22,666 | 261 |
| 1960s | 22,407 | 246 |
| 1970s | 65,476 | 20 |
| 1980s | 224,702 | 18 |
| 1990s | 275,952 | 6 |
| 2000s | 177,931 | 7 |
| 2010s | 66,897 | 53 |
| 2020s | 21,007 | 149 |
Where Nicholas is heading
Nicholas has fallen 50% over the past decade, from 6,270 babies in 2015 to 3,123 in 2025.
Names like Nicholas
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Nicholas.