Nikolus
Derived from the Greek name Nikolaos meaning "victory of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 171 living Americans carry the first name Nikolus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nikolus today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nikolus births was 2001 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nikolus. 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
171
~ 1 in 2,004,411 Americans
Peak year
2001
13 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2014 SSA rank
#11,726
Tracked since 1988
Census
Nikolus in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 169 people with the first name Nikolus, which placed it at #42,487 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#42,487
National first-name rank
People counted
169
169 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
54.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nikolus
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nikolus is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.3%) and Black (13.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nikolus described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nikolus at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.4% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino18.3% · 31
- Black or African American13.6% · 23
- Two or more races10.1% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 3
Popularity
Nikolus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nikolus from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 76 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nikolus 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 Nikolus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nikolus
The name Nikolus has its origins in the Greek language, derived from the combination of the words "nikos" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people." This etymology suggests that the name was initially associated with the concept of victory or triumph among the people.
The name gained widespread popularity in the early Christian era, as it was borne by Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century bishop renowned for his generosity and kindness. His veneration as the patron saint of children and the inspiration behind the modern-day Santa Claus further solidified the name's significance in Christian traditions.
In ancient texts and scriptures, variations of the name can be found in the New Testament, where it appears as "Nikolaos." This early attestation highlights the name's longstanding history within the Christian faith.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Nikolus of Damascus, a Greek historian and philosopher who lived in the 1st century BC. His works, though largely lost, were influential in his time and provide insight into the name's ancient roots.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nikolus or its variants:
1. Nikolus Copernicus (1473-1543), the renowned Polish astronomer whose heliocentric model revolutionized our understanding of the solar system.
2. Nikolus Flamel (c. 1330-1418), a French scribe and alleged alchemist, who gained mythical status for his supposed success in the quest for the philosopher's stone.
3. Nikolus of Cusa (1401-1464), a German philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, known for his contributions to the Renaissance era.
4. Nikolus Malebranche (1638-1715), a French philosopher and Catholic priest, who was a prominent figure in the rationalist movement.
5. Nikolus Zinzendorf (1700-1760), a German religious leader and reformer, who played a crucial role in the renewal of the Moravian Church.
These individuals, spanning various fields and time periods, exemplify the enduring presence and significance of the name Nikolus throughout history, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and versatility.
People
Nikolus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nikolus 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
Nikolus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nikolus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 171 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nikolus 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 2,004,411 US residents.
Is Nikolus a common name?
We classify Nikolus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nikolus most popular?
The single biggest year for Nikolus was 2001, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nikolus is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nikolus in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 169 people with the name Nikolus, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,487 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nikolus in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nikolus?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nikolus appears almost entirely male. Of the 157 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nikolus?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nikolus is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.3%) and Black (13.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nikolus most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nikolus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.4% (92 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Nikolus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nikolus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nikolus 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 Nikolus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nikolus 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 Nikolus 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.
How many people share the name Nikolus?
You can see how many people have the name Nikolus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.