Nicholi
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 379 living Americans carry the first name Nicholi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nicholi today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nicholi births was 2013 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nicholi. 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
379
~ 1 in 904,365 Americans
Peak year
2013
20 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,082
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Nicholi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nicholi from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 150 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nicholi 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 Nicholi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nicholi
The given name Nicholi has its origins in the Greek language and culture, emerging during the Byzantine era. It is a variation of the name Nicholas, which is derived from the Greek words "nikē" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people." This combination suggests the meaning "victor of the people" or "people's champion."
Nicholi gained prominence in the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, where Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century bishop known for his generosity and kindness, became a venerated figure. His name was widely adopted and adapted across various cultures, leading to the emergence of variants like Nicholi.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nicholi can be found in the Byzantine Empire, where it was used by nobility and ecclesiastical figures. Nicholi Chrysoberges, a prominent Byzantine statesman and military leader, lived in the 11th century and played a significant role in the political affairs of the empire during the reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
In the realm of literature, the name Nicholi appears in the works of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. In his novel "The Brothers Karamazov," one of the central characters is named Alexei Fyodorovich Karamazov, whose nickname is Alyosha, a diminutive form of Nicholi.
Historically, several notable individuals have borne the name Nicholi. One example is Nicholi Gogol, a prominent Russian novelist and dramatist of the 19th century, known for his works such as "Dead Souls" and "The Overcoat." He was born in 1809 and died in 1852.
Another figure is Nicholi Lobachevsky, a Russian mathematician and geometer who made significant contributions to non-Euclidean geometry. He lived from 1792 to 1856 and is recognized for his pioneering work in hyperbolic geometry.
In the field of science, Nicholi Vavilov, a Russian botanist and geneticist, gained recognition for his research on plant genetics and the origin of cultivated plants. He lived from 1887 to 1943 and made substantial contributions to the understanding of genetic diversity and plant breeding.
Nicholi Rimsky-Korsakov, a Russian composer and master of orchestration, left a lasting legacy in the world of classical music. Born in 1844 and lived until 1908, he is renowned for his symphonic works, operas, and orchestral suites that captured the essence of Russian folk culture.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Nicholi, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and significance across various fields.
People
Nicholi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nicholi 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
Nicholi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nicholi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 379 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nicholi 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 904,365 US residents.
Is Nicholi a common name?
We classify Nicholi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 384 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nicholi most popular?
The single biggest year for Nicholi was 2013, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nicholi is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nicholi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nicholi 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.