Nicholis
Masculine name derived from the Greek 'Nikolaos' meaning "victory of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 717 living Americans carry the first name Nicholis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nicholis today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nicholis births was 1990 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nicholis. 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
717
~ 1 in 478,040 Americans
Peak year
1990
38 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2020 SSA rank
#13,489
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Nicholis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nicholis from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 252 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nicholis 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 Nicholis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nicholis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nicholis
The name Nicholis has its origins in the Greek language, deriving from the word "Nikolaos," which means "victor of the people." This name has been in use for centuries and has traveled across various cultures and regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nicholis can be found in ancient Greek texts, where it was used to refer to individuals who had achieved victories or held positions of power. The name gained particular prominence during the Byzantine era, when it was widely used among the ruling class and nobility.
In the Christian tradition, the name Nicholis is closely associated with Saint Nicholas, the 4th-century Bishop of Myra, who was renowned for his generosity and kindness toward children. His feast day, celebrated on December 6th, has become a cherished holiday in many parts of the world, with traditions of gift-giving and celebrations.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nicholis. One of the earliest was Nicholis Demetrius I, a Byzantine emperor who ruled from 1081 to 1118. Another prominent figure was Nicholis Copernicus (1473-1543), the Polish astronomer who revolutionized our understanding of the solar system with his heliocentric theory.
In the literary world, Nicholis Hawthorne (1804-1864), the American novelist and short story writer, is renowned for his works such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables." Nicholis Nickleby, the protagonist of Charles Dickens' novel "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby," published in 1839, is another notable bearer of the name.
Nicholis Tesla (1856-1943), the Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer, is widely celebrated for his groundbreaking contributions to the field of electricity and his numerous patents, including the alternating current (AC) electrical system.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Nicholis, each leaving their unique mark on their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human achievement.
People
Nicholis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nicholis 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
Nicholis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nicholis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 717 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nicholis 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 478,040 US residents.
Is Nicholis a common name?
We classify Nicholis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 742 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nicholis most popular?
The single biggest year for Nicholis was 1990, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nicholis is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nicholis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nicholis 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.