Nicholus
The Greek name meaning "victorious people".
Name Census estimates that about 725 living Americans carry the first name Nicholus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nicholus today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nicholus births was 1978 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nicholus. 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
725
~ 1 in 472,765 Americans
Peak year
1978
47 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2015 SSA rank
#11,686
Tracked since 1963
Popularity
Nicholus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nicholus from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 260 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
Nicholus 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 Nicholus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nicholus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Nicholus, while Georgia, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nicholus
The name Nicholus has its origins in the Greek language, deriving from the words "nike" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people." It can be traced back to ancient Greece and the 4th century BC. The name's earliest known spelling was "Nikolaos," which later evolved into the Latin form "Nicolaus" and then into various European spellings such as "Nicholas," "Nicolas," and "Nicholus."
One of the earliest historical references to the name Nicholus can be found in the New Testament of the Bible. Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop from Myra (modern-day Turkey), was known for his generosity and kindness towards children. He became the inspiration for the popular Christmas tradition of Santa Claus. Another notable bearer of the name was Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), a German philosopher, theologian, and astronomer who made significant contributions to the Renaissance.
During the Middle Ages, the name Nicholus gained popularity across Europe, particularly in England and France. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is Nicholas Breakspear (c. 1100-1159), who became Pope Adrian IV in 1154, and was the only Englishman to hold the papacy.
In the 16th century, Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543), the Polish astronomer who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system, made a significant impact on the field of astronomy. His groundbreaking work challenged the geocentric model and paved the way for modern astronomy.
Another renowned bearer of the name Nicholus was Nicholas Flamel (c. 1330-1418), a French scribe and manuscript-seller who has been associated with legends of alchemy and the philosopher's stone. His reputed ability to turn base metals into gold has captured the imagination of many writers and alchemists throughout history.
People
Nicholus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nicholus 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
Nicholus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nicholus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 725 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nicholus 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 472,765 US residents.
Is Nicholus a common name?
We classify Nicholus 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, 755 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nicholus most popular?
The single biggest year for Nicholus was 1978, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nicholus is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nicholus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nicholus 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.