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Nicholas as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nicholas

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The baby name Nicholas is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced NIK-ə-ləs (IPA: /ˈnɪkələs/).

Nicholas is Greek in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: NIK-ə-ləs (IPA: /ˈnɪkələs/)

What is the meaning of the name Nicholas ?

The baby name Nicholas is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced NIK-ə-ləs (IPA: /ˈnɪkələs/).

Nicholas is Greek in Origin.

Nicholas comes from Greek Nikolaos (nike “victory” + laos “people”), meaning “victory of the people.” Adopted by early Christians, it spread through the fame of Saint Nicholas of Myra (4th century), patron of children and sailors, later inspiring Dutch Sinterklaas and “Santa Claus.” Brought to England by the Normans (Latin Nicolaus, Old French Nicolas), it became a staple of medieval Europe.

Variants include Nikolaos, Nikolas, Nicolas (French/Spanish), Nicola (Italian), Nicolae (Romanian), Nikolai (Russian), Mykola (Ukrainian), Mikolaj (Polish), Niels/Nils (Scandinavian), and Niklas (German/Scandinavian). Diminutives and related forms are Nick, Niko, Nico, Klaus/Claus, Cole, and the Scots Colin. Feminine counterparts include Nicole, Nicola, Nicolette, and Colette. In the English-speaking world, Nicholas stayed consistently popular, peaking in the United States in the 1990s–2000s.

Nicholas has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Nicholas

Nicholas II of Russia Royal · Born 1868 · Russian Empire Nicholas II of Russia was the last Emperor of the Russian Empire, reigning from 1894 until his abdication in 1917. He is most famous for his role during World War I and the subsequent Russian Revolution, which led to the end of the Romanov dynasty. His reign saw significant political and social upheaval, ultimately resulting in his execution in 1918. Nicholas I of Russia Royal · Born 1796 · Russian Empire Nicholas I of Russia was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known for his autocratic rule and involvement in the Crimean War. His reign was marked by the expansion of the Russian Empire and strict censorship policies. He played a significant role in shaping 19th-century Russian politics and society. Nicholas of Cusa Politician · Born 1401 · Holy Roman Empire Nicholas of Cusa was a notable philosopher and theologian from the Holy Roman Empire, born in 1401. He is best known for his contributions to the development of Renaissance humanism and his influential works like 'De Docta Ignorantia' and 'De Concordantia Catholica'. His ideas on the infinite nature of God and the universe left a lasting impact on both religious and philosophical thought.
Nicholas Murray Butler Politician · Born 1862 · United States Nicholas Murray Butler was a prominent American philosopher and diplomat, best known for his long tenure as president of Columbia University. He played a significant role in international peace efforts and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. Butler also contributed to the founding of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Nicholas I of Montenegro Royal · Born 1841 · Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro Nicholas I of Montenegro was the last monarch of Montenegro, serving as its king from 1910 until 1918. He is most famous for leading the country during a time of significant political change and for his efforts to modernize Montenegro. His reign ended when Montenegro became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Nicholas Galitzine Actor · Born 1994 · United Kingdom Nicholas Galitzine is an English actor best known for films like High Strung and Handsome Devil. He made his screen debut in The Beat Beneath My Feet in 2014, then went on to appear in the TV series Legends and take on leading film roles.

Celebrity babies named Nicholas

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Nicholas Iglesias Anna Kournikova model ★★★★★ Enrique Iglesias musician ★★★★★
Nicholas Collins Phil Collins television actor ★★★★★
Nicholas Kazan Elia Kazan film director ★★★★★
Nicholas Dunbar Marianne Faithfull singer ★★★★★
Nicholas Godsick Mary Joe Fernández tennis player ★★★★★

Nicholas – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
BW 0 #16 4 960
KR Boys 0 #27 1 897
MT 0 #28 16 1,767
BN 0 #29 4 2,297
NA 0 #30 4 2,537
JM Boys 0 #37 607 6,876
JM 0 #38 51 3,714
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
CY 0 #40 20 1,632
SG Boys 0 #46 2,376 17,960
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
SG 0 #48 303 11,010
CY Boys 0 #50 110 3,473
GH Boys 0 #60 1,010 8,138
New Zealand Boys 2010 #62 69 99
BW Boys 0 #65 91 4,685
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
MT Boys 0 #66 146 4,064
JP 0 #67 11 4,057
CN 0 #73 13 3,857
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
MV Boys 0 #79 1 3,375
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
QA 0 #88 13 7,011
MY 0 #95 280 12,352
BN Boys 0 #98 36 6,332
TW 0 #98 6 4,523
MY Boys 0 #101 3,703 25,439
SD 0 #101 2 2,130
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
GH 0 #106 165 5,396
ID Boys 0 #106 26 4,130
PH 0 #108 3 5,607
GR 0 #109 26 3,911
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
Sweden Boys 2022 #111 73 1,509
OM 0 #114 8 6,215
United States Boys 2024 #115 3,025 7,044
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
KW 0 #116 6 5,216
Canada Boys 2024 #121 227 2,588
EC 0 #121 1 2,502
Norway Boys 2025 #124 11 444
MU 0 #126 11 3,613
ZA Boys 0 #126 4,950 25,619
Switzerland Boys 2024 #134 4 1,769
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
ZA 0 #139 352 14,421
CR 0 #143 16 5,526
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
GR Boys 0 #151 126 6,912
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
AE 0 #155 23 10,220
HU Boys 0 #165 10 3,954
IT Boys 0 #173 10,962 10,046
MO Boys 0 #173 51 5,842
DK 0 #174 30 5,198
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
DK Boys 0 #182 156 7,401
CZ 0 #184 3 3,154
TW Boys 0 #186 56 7,111
RU 0 #188 7 3,641
AR 0 #192 2 2,915
CN Boys 0 #193 138 9,639
HK Boys 0 #196 636 12,905
NG 0 #203 62 5,926
LU Boys 0 #208 11 4,970
NA Boys 0 #208 28 6,830
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
Belgium Boys 2001 #215 25 417
BG Boys 0 #219 2 3,850
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
NG Boys 0 #237 2,058 16,906
BD 0 #239 3 5,992
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
PT 0 #246 5 4,161
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
JP Boys 0 #250 48 7,909
HR Boys 0 #256 4 3,997
HK 0 #262 89 8,483
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
JM Girls 0 #277 2 7,507
IL 0 #280 3 6,291
Canada Girls 2001 #283 6 2,435
SA 0 #284 12 10,560
CZ Boys 0 #285 20 6,530
MU Boys 0 #290 68 8,477
KZ Boys 0 #291 6 6,578
Finland 0 #293 15 830
GH Girls 0 #307 18 6,973
PL Boys 0 #317 19 6,459
BR 0 #326 20 5,969
Finland Boys 0 #326 102 2,041
Finland Boys 2026 #327 620 3,552
PE 0 #327 3 6,350
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
PT Boys 0 #331 37 7,951
QA Girls 0 #343 1 15,378
PH Boys 0 #347 37 11,440
CR Boys 0 #351 142 10,188
CN Girls 0 #356 4 8,829
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
NL 0 #378 14 2,481
France Boys 2021 #380 8 2,865
UY Boys 0 #385 15 5,922
JO Boys 0 #387 3 7,057
Austria Boys 0 #393 50 2,180
IT 0 #394 408 4,183
RU Boys 0 #394 112 12,621
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
CL 0 #397 15 6,867
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
Germany 0 #418 20 2,542
OM Girls 0 #422 3 15,987
PH Girls 0 #428 2 13,098
Spain 0 #437 16 2,326
MX 0 #442 4 8,339
BR Boys 0 #461 339 12,213
SD Boys 0 #463 4 10,523
PA Boys 0 #468 14 9,305
CO 0 #471 10 7,768
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
AR Boys 0 #477 7 7,628
GT Boys 0 #492 8 7,625
LY 0 #506 30 12,703
PS Boys 0 #516 33 10,655
RU Girls 0 #523 1 11,913
BH 0 #525 29 17,937
CM Boys 0 #525 26 12,054
IR Boys 0 #526 27 10,162
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
BD Boys 0 #549 28 10,045
CL Boys 0 #553 114 13,390
CM Girls 0 #560 1 11,671
CR Girls 0 #573 1 11,342
SG Girls 0 #574 13 18,916
IL Boys 0 #590 18 10,983
AE Girls 0 #597 1 20,968
QA Boys 0 #608 100 18,093
BO Boys 0 #616 7 9,244
LB 0 #636 23 13,263
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
HK Girls 0 #646 5 16,104
IQ Boys 0 #654 14 13,071
NG Girls 0 #662 126 15,093
KW Boys 0 #717 53 18,755
SY 0 #719 10 11,684
Germany Boys 0 #725 230 5,697
NL Boys 0 #799 153 5,873
Spain Boys 0 #815 116 5,610
OM Boys 0 #815 67 17,948
PE Boys 0 #835 44 14,506
CO Boys 0 #845 76 15,656
TN 0 #861 5 13,765
EG Boys 0 #864 23 15,035
United States Girls 2022 #898 6 8,739
AE Boys 0 #925 168 22,615
MX Boys 0 #930 53 16,355
IN Boys 0 #949 53 16,750
MY Girls 0 #953 42 24,821
BR Girls 0 #992 1 12,708
SA Girls 0 #1,010 5 25,931
ZA Girls 0 #1,062 80 25,928
MA 0 #1,114 15 20,986
CO Girls 0 #1,151 2 16,140
DZ 0 #1,163 14 20,130
TR 0 #1,188 24 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,400 47 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,496 119 28,008

Nicholas is popular in 90 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Nicholas

Nicholas is predominantly a boy's name.
Nicholas is a 3 syllable name, pronounced NIK-ə-ləs (IPA: /ˈnɪkələs/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Nick, Nicky, Nico, Nik, Nikolas and Nikolaos.
Across languages, Nicholas has these equivalents: {'Greek': 'Nikolaos (Νικόλαος), 'Russian': 'Nikolai (Николай), Kolya (diminutive), 'Bulgarian': 'Nikolay (Николай), 'Ukrainian': 'Mykola (Микола).
Yes, very popular — Nicholas ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 12 countries.
Nicholas ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Nicholas's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 15 notable people named Nicholas are in our database, including Nicholas II of Russia (Royal), Nicholas I of Russia (Royal), Nicholas of Cusa (Politician).
Yes — at least 5 celebrity couples have chosen Nicholas for their child, including Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias.