Nicholas
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "victor of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 851,882 living Americans carry the first name Nicholas. It sits at #118 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nicholas today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nicholas births was 1995 (29,217 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nicholas. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Nicholas is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 3,139 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
852K
~ 1 in 402 Americans
Peak year
1995
29,217 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#118
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Nicholas
Out of the 926,036 babies given the name Nicholas since 1880, 99.7% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Nicholas as a male name
- Ranked #118 in 2024
- 3,025 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1995 (29,161 births)
Nicholas as a female name
- Ranked #14,806 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1985 (162 births)
Popularity
Nicholas: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nicholas from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 275,949 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nicholas 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 Nicholas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nicholas' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Nicholas, while Wyoming, Alaska, Vermont recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18,018 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nicholas
The given name Nicholas has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the Greek words "nikos" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people". The name essentially translates to "victor of the people" or "people's champion".
The name can be traced back to ancient Greek history and was first recorded in the 4th century BC. It is believed to have been given to children in hopes that they would grow up to be brave warriors and leaders who could defend their communities.
One of the earliest known references to the name Nicholas is found in the writings of the Greek historian Plutarch, who mentioned a military commander named Nicholas who fought alongside Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.
In the early Christian era, the name became particularly popular due to the veneration of Saint Nicholas, the 4th century bishop of Myra (modern-day Turkey) who was known for his generosity and kindness towards children. His legacy as the patron saint of children and gift-giving contributed to the widespread adoption of the name across Europe.
Some notable historical figures with the name Nicholas include:
1. Nicholas of Damascus (c. 64 BC - c. 10 AD), a Greek historian and philosopher.
2. Nicholas of Cusa (1401 - 1464), a German philosopher, mathematician, and Catholic cardinal.
3. Nicholas Copernicus (1473 - 1543), the renowned Polish astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model of the solar system.
4. Nicholas Roerich (1874 - 1947), a Russian painter, philosopher, and writer.
5. Nicholas Winton (1909 - 2015), a British humanitarian who organized the rescue of 669 children from Czechoslovakia during World War II.
Over the centuries, the name Nicholas has been adapted and transliterated into various languages, leading to variations such as Nikolai, Niklas, Nikos, and Nick. It has remained a popular choice for parents across different cultures and religions, often symbolizing strength, leadership, and a spirit of compassion.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nicholas
People
Nicholas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nicholas 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
Nicholas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nicholas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 851,882 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nicholas 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 402 US residents.
Is Nicholas a common name?
We classify Nicholas as "Very Common". It ranks above 100% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 926,036 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nicholas most popular?
The single biggest year for Nicholas was 1995, when 29,217 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nicholas is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nicholas a male name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Nicholas in the SSA data are male. 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.