Find out how popular the first name Nicholaus has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Nicholaus by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Nicholaus is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 6 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Nicholaus.

The history of the first name Nicholaus

The name Nicholaus is derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which is a combination of the words "nikan" meaning "to conquer" and "laos" meaning "people." It emerged in the late 3rd century AD and gained widespread popularity across Europe and the Mediterranean region.

The name's origins can be traced back to the legendary Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra, in modern-day Turkey. He was renowned for his generosity and became the basis for the modern-day Santa Claus tradition. The name Nikolaos was later adapted to various languages and cultures, leading to variations like Nicholas, Nicola, and Nicholaus.

In the Byzantine Empire, the name Nicholaus was widely used, with several emperors bearing the name, such as Nicholaus I (826-867) and Nicholaus III (1078-1081). It also gained popularity in Western Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions influenced by the Orthodox Christian and Catholic traditions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nicholaus is found in the Venerable Bede's 8th-century ecclesiastical history, where he mentions a Nicholaus of Antioch. In the 11th century, the Italian mathematician and astronomer Nicholaus Cusanus (1401-1464) made significant contributions to the fields of science and philosophy.

Other notable historical figures with the name Nicholaus include Nicholaus Copernicus (1473-1543), the Renaissance astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model of the solar system; Nicholaus Flamel (c. 1330-1418), a French scribe and manuscript-seller who became a legendary alchemist; and Nicholaus Machiavelli (1469-1527), the Italian Renaissance philosopher and political theorist renowned for his work "The Prince."

The name Nicholaus also appears in religious contexts, such as Nicholaus of Cusa (1401-1464), a German philosopher, theologian, and Cardinal of the Catholic Church, and Nicholaus of Tolentino (1246-1305), an Italian mystic and saint venerated by the Catholic Church.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Nicholaus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nicholaus, please contact us.

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