Nichele
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the French "niche".
Name Census estimates that about 614 living Americans carry the first name Nichele. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nichele today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nichele births was 1969 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nichele. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
614
~ 1 in 558,232 Americans
Peak year
1969
45 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2011 SSA rank
#18,797
Tracked since 1962
Popularity
Nichele: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nichele from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 208 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nichele by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nichele during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nicheles live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nichele
Nichele is a name of Italian origin, believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Greek name "Nikolas," which means "victory of the people." The name was likely introduced to Italy through the spread of Christianity and the veneration of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children and sailors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nichele can be found in a 13th-century Venetian chronicle, where it is mentioned as the name of a nobleman. During the Renaissance period, the name gained popularity among the aristocratic families of Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Nichele Machiavelli, a distant relative of the famous political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, served as a diplomat and advisor to the Medici family in Florence. He was known for his skills in negotiation and his expertise in matters of state.
Another historical figure bearing the name Nichele was Nichele Gabrielli, a 16th-century Italian sculptor and architect from Gubbio, in the region of Umbria. He is renowned for his contributions to the Renaissance architectural style, particularly his work on the Palazzo dei Consoli in Gubbio.
In the realm of literature, Nichele Tommaseo, a 19th-century Italian writer, linguist, and philosopher, made significant contributions to the Italian language and literary tradition. He is best known for his work on the Dizionario della Lingua Italiana, a comprehensive dictionary of the Italian language.
During the 20th century, Nichele Carosio, an Italian singer and actress, gained popularity for her roles in several Italian films and her contributions to the traditional Neapolitan music genre. She was born in 1920 and passed away in 2010, leaving behind a legacy in the entertainment industry.
While the name Nichele has maintained a presence throughout Italian history, it has remained relatively uncommon in modern times, often overshadowed by the more widespread use of variations such as Nicola or Nicolas.
People
Nichele + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nichele as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nichele: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nichele?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 614 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nichele going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 558,232 US residents.
Is Nichele a common name?
We classify Nichele as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 667 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nichele most popular?
The single biggest year for Nichele was 1969, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nichele is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nichele a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nichele in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.