Niklause
A masculine name of German origin meaning "victory of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Niklause. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Niklause today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niklause births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Niklause. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Niklause. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,581
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Niklause: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Niklause 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 Niklause during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Niklause
The given name Niklause is a variant spelling of the male name Nicholas, which has its origins in the Greek name Nikolaos. The name Nikolaos is derived from the Greek words "nikan" meaning "to conquer" and "laos" meaning "people." This combination signifies "victor of the people" or "conqueror of peoples."
The name Nicholas gained widespread popularity due to its association with St. Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint and Greek bishop of Myra in modern-day Turkey. St. Nicholas was renowned for his generosity and became the inspiration for the legendary figure of Santa Claus. His life and deeds were recorded in various hagiographies and religious texts, contributing to the name's enduring recognition.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Niklause dates back to the 12th century, when Niklaus von Flüe, a Swiss hermit and mystic, lived from 1417 to 1487. He was revered for his piety and later canonized as St. Nicholas of Flüe.
Another notable figure bearing the name Niklause was Niklaus Weckmann, a German composer and organist who lived from 1621 to 1653. He made significant contributions to the development of the North German organ tradition during the Baroque era.
In the literary realm, Niklaus Manuel Deutsch, a Swiss satirist, dramatist, and painter, lived from 1484 to 1530. His works, including plays and woodcuts, provided social commentary and critiques of the religious and political establishments of his time.
During the 18th century, Niklaus Dietrich Giseke, a German botanist and explorer, lived from 1732 to 1807. He made notable contributions to the study of plant life, particularly in the Caribbean region.
More recently, Niklaus Wirth, a Swiss computer scientist and pioneer in the field of programming languages, was born in 1934. He is renowned for developing several influential programming languages, including Pascal, Modula-2, and Oberon.
While the name Niklause is a variant spelling, it shares the rich history and cultural significance of its root form, Nicholas. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have left their mark in various fields, from religion and literature to music, science, and technology.
People
Niklause + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Niklause 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
Niklause: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niklause?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niklause 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Niklause a common name?
We classify Niklause as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Niklause most popular?
The single biggest year for Niklause was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niklause is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Niklause in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Niklause a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niklause 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.
Is Niklause still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Niklause in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Niklause can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Niklause as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.