Nico
Victorious; conqueror of the people (of Greek origin).
Name Census estimates that about 19,966 living Americans carry the first name Nico. It sits at #213 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly male name (95.1% of registrations). The average person named Nico today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nico births was 2024 (1,713 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nico. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Nico is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 998 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Nico is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
20K
~ 1 in 17,167 Americans
Peak year
2024
1,713 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#213
Tracked since 1960
Gender
Gender distribution for Nico
Nico leans heavily male at 95.1% of total registrations, but 998 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nico as a male name
- Ranked #213 in 2024
- 1,678 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (1,678 births)
Nico as a female name
- Ranked #4,165 in 2024
- 35 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (45 births)
Popularity
Nico: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nico from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 7,194 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nico 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 Nico during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nicos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 46 states and territories. California, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Nico, while Alaska, Maine, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 382 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nico
The given name Nico has its origins in the Greek language and culture, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is a diminutive form of the name Nicholas, which is derived from the Greek words "nikē" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people." Consequently, the name Nico carries the meaning of "victor of the people" or "people's victory."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nico can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, who mentions a man named Nico in his work "Parallel Lives." This suggests that the name was in use during the 1st century AD in the Greco-Roman world.
In the early Christian era, the name Nico gained popularity as a shortened version of Nicholas, which was the name of a 4th-century saint revered in various Christian traditions. Saint Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus, was renowned for his generosity and kindness towards children, which further contributed to the name's positive connotations.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nico. One such individual was Nico Dekker, a Dutch artist and sculptor who lived from 1509 to 1582 and was known for his intricate woodcarvings. Another prominent Nico was Nico de Lange, a 17th-century Dutch painter renowned for his landscapes and genre scenes, who lived from 1612 to 1681.
In the realm of literature, Nico Gunzburg, a Russian poet and translator, made significant contributions to the literary world during his lifetime from 1882 to 1984. Nico Doslic, a Croatian writer and journalist born in 1926, was also a notable figure who used this given name.
Moving into the 20th century, the name Nico gained further recognition with the rise of Nico Doslic, a Croatian writer and journalist born in 1926, and Nico Masee, a Dutch footballer who played for the national team and various clubs between 1955 and 1972.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Nico throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Nico + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nico 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
Nico: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nico?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19,966 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nico 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 17,167 US residents.
Is Nico a common name?
We classify Nico as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20,212 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nico most popular?
The single biggest year for Nico was 2024, when 1,713 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nico is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nico a male name?
Yes, 95.1% of people registered as Nico 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.