Nicholos
Victor or conqueror of the people from the Greek origins.
Name Census estimates that about 686 living Americans carry the first name Nicholos. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nicholos today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nicholos births was 1983 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nicholos. 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
686
~ 1 in 499,642 Americans
Peak year
1983
35 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2010 SSA rank
#11,769
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Nicholos: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nicholos from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 250 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
Nicholos 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 Nicholos during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nicholos' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Illinois, New York recorded the most babies named Nicholos, while Texas, New York, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nicholos
Nicholos is a masculine given name derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which is a compound of the words "niko" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people". The name can be traced back to the 4th century AD and was borne by St. Nicholas, the famous 4th-century bishop of Myra in modern-day Turkey, who was renowned for his generosity and kindness.
The name Nicholos gained widespread popularity across Europe and the Christian world due to the veneration of St. Nicholas as the patron saint of children, sailors, and numerous cities. The name was adopted and adapted into various linguistic forms, such as Nicholas, Nicolas, Nikolas, and Nicola, among others.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nicholos can be found in the 12th-century chronicle "Chronica Majora" by Matthew Paris, which mentions a certain Nicholos de Farnham, an English clergyman. Another notable bearer of the name was Nicholos of Padua, an Italian Franciscan friar and theologian who lived in the late 13th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nicholos. One of the most renowned was Nicholos Copernicus (1473-1543), the Polish astronomer whose heliocentric theory revolutionized our understanding of the universe. Another was Nicholos Flamel (c. 1330-1418), a French scribe and manuscript-seller who achieved legendary status as an alchemist.
In the realm of literature, Nicholos Udall (c. 1505-1556) was an English playwright and cleric who is credited with introducing the concept of comedy to English drama. Nicholos Breton (c. 1545-c. 1626) was an English poet and novelist who wrote extensively on pastoral themes.
Nicholos Roerich (1874-1947), a Russian painter, writer, and philosopher, was renowned for his vibrant depictions of Himalayan landscapes and his contributions to the preservation of cultural heritage.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Nicholos throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and disciplines.
People
Nicholos + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nicholos 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
Nicholos: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nicholos?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 686 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nicholos 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 499,642 US residents.
Is Nicholos a common name?
We classify Nicholos as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 768 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nicholos most popular?
The single biggest year for Nicholos was 1983, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nicholos is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nicholos a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nicholos 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.