Find out how popular the last name Nicolae is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nicolae.

Nicolae, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nicolae surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicolae in America

Nicolae is the 84136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicolae surname appeared 223 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nicolae.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicolae to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nicolae

The surname NICOLAE originates from Romania and has its roots in the Romanian language. It is a patronymic name derived from the given name Nicolae, which is the Romanian form of the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people." This name traces its history back to the early centuries of Christianity in the region.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname NICOLAE can be found in historical documents and records from the 15th century, particularly in regions of modern-day Romania, such as Transylvania and Wallachia. During this time, the name was often associated with Romanian nobility and landowners.

One notable early bearer of the surname NICOLAE was Ion NICOLAE (c. 1450-1510), a prominent Romanian boyar (nobleman) and military commander who played a significant role in the defense of Wallachia against Ottoman invasions. His name is mentioned in various chronicles and historical records from the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Another historically significant figure with the surname NICOLAE was Gheorghe NICOLAE (1786-1857), a Romanian politician and writer who played a pivotal role in the Wallachian Revolution of 1848. He was a prominent advocate for Romanian independence and served as a member of the revolutionary government during that period.

In the 19th century, the surname NICOLAE gained further recognition through the works of the Romanian poet and philosopher Vasile NICOLAE (1829-1905). His literary contributions, particularly his philosophical writings on Romanian national identity, had a significant impact on the cultural and intellectual landscape of the time.

The name NICOLAE has also been associated with notable figures in various fields, such as the Romanian mathematician Nicolae NICOLAE (1867-1924), known for his contributions to the study of differential equations, and the Romanian composer Nicolae NICOLAE (1903-1976), whose works incorporated elements of Romanian folk music.

Throughout its history, the surname NICOLAE has maintained a strong presence in Romania and among Romanian communities worldwide. While the name has undergone minor variations in spelling over time, its core meaning and connection to Romanian cultural heritage have remained intact.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicolae

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nicolae.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nicolae was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nicolae has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nicolae was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nicolae, please contact us.

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