Nicolo
Masculine name deriving from the Greek Nikolaos, meaning "victor of people".
Name Census estimates that about 1,376 living Americans carry the first name Nicolo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nicolo today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nicolo births was 2024 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nicolo. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 249,095 Americans
Peak year
2024
47 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,771
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Nicolo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nicolo from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 355 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nicolo remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nicolo 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 Nicolo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nicolos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Nicolo, while Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 50 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nicolo
The name Nicolo originated from the Italian language, derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which itself comes from the combination of the words "nikê" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people". It emerged as a popular name in Italy during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Nicolo was Nicolo Pisano, also known as Nicola Pisano, an Italian sculptor and architect who lived from around 1220 to 1284. He is renowned for his innovative sculpting techniques and his work on the Cathedral of Siena.
Another notable Nicolo from history was Nicolo Machiavelli, the famous Italian Renaissance philosopher, historian, and writer, born in 1469 and died in 1527. He is best known for his influential political treatise, "The Prince", which provided practical advice for ruling and maintaining power.
In the realm of exploration, Nicolo Zeno, a Venetian navigator and explorer from the 14th century, gained recognition for his travels to the North Atlantic and the islands he discovered, known as the Zeno Islands. His accounts of these voyages were recorded in the "Zeno Narrative".
Nicolo Paganini, born in 1782 and died in 1840, was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest violin virtuosos of all time. His incredible technical skills and innovative playing techniques revolutionized violin performance.
Nicolo Tommaseo, born in 1802 and died in 1874, was an Italian writer, journalist, and linguist who made significant contributions to the Italian language. He is particularly renowned for his work on the "Dizionario della Lingua Italiana", a comprehensive dictionary of the Italian language.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Nicolo, showcasing its rich heritage and the diverse fields in which it has been represented.
People
Nicolo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nicolo 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
Nicolo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nicolo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,376 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nicolo 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 249,095 US residents.
Is Nicolo a common name?
We classify Nicolo as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,524 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nicolo most popular?
The single biggest year for Nicolo was 2024, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nicolo is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nicolo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nicolo 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.