Nico
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Meaning
Short form of Nicholas, ultimately from Greek "victory of the people".
The story
Nico can arrive at the same meaning by two different longer routes. It is a short form of Nicholas and sometimes of Nicodemus. Nicholas comes from Greek Nikolaos, joining nike, "victory," with laos, "people." Nicodemus comes from Nikodemos, which joins the same nike with demos, another word for "the people." Both longer names are understood as "victory of the people." Set beside one another, they share the victory element while using different Greek words for the people. Nico is where their shorter forms meet. The shared gloss belongs to the full Greek compounds and reaches Nico through those relationships. That gives the small name an unexpected fork in its family history: follow either of these longer forms backward and the people remain in the meaning, even when the Greek word for them changes.
The formal names behind Nico
Nico is an established short form of this name.
Nicholas · Greek origin · victory of the people, from the Greek Nikolaos; the fourth-century saint of Myra whose secret gift-giving grew into Santa Claus, a name borne by five popes and two tsars, and the 1990s American staple behind Nick, Cole and Colin
Sources list Nico among the forms of Nicholas (Dutch · German · Italian · Portuguese · Spanish).
How popular is Nico around the world?
In the United States, 9,300 babies were named Nico between 2020 and 2025. In Austria, 146 boys named Nico were born in 2025, the 54th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
Nico is on the official records of the United States, Austria, Scotland, New Zealand, Spain, England and Wales, Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Poland, South Australia, Mexico City, Montevideo, France, Argentina and Brazil.
Nico crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record and of a Spanish-speaking one. The full list: English and Spanish
United States
1 in 2,300
In the United States, 9,300 babies were named Nico between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Nico peaked in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
1 in 520
In Austria, 146 boys named Nico were born in 2025, the 54th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Scotland
1 in 930
In Scotland, 49 boys named Nico were registered in 2024, the 104th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
New Zealand
1 in 1,200
In New Zealand, 50 boys named Nico were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Spain
#44 · 2024
In Spain, 4,353 residents are named Nico, the 459th most common name among men, with a mean age of 6.7 years.
In Spain, Nico was the 44th most common name among boys born in 2024.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
England and Wales
1 in 1,800
In England and Wales, 306 boys named Nico were born in 2025, the 165th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 2,300
In Canada, 158 boys named Nico were born in 2024, the 211th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Puerto Rico
1 in 3,600
In Puerto Rico, 5 babies were named Nico in 2025, and 10 have carried the name since 1998.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Ireland
1 in 5,400
In Ireland, 10 boys named Nico were born in 2025, the 372nd most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Poland
1 in 13,000
In Poland, 19 boys named Nico were born in 2025, the 260th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Nico in 2017.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Mexico City City
1 in 24,000
In Mexico City, there were 5 registrations of Nico in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Montevideo City
1 in 25,0002011
In Montevideo, 1 boy named Nico was born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
France
1 in 130,000
In France, about 5 boys named Nico were born in 2025, ranked 3,623rd among boys that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Argentina
1 in 130,000
In Argentina, 5 newborns were given the name Nico in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Brazil
1 in 500,000
At the 2022 census, 407 people in Brazil were named Nico, ranked 15,404th, with a median age of 9.
Among people named Nico living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 113 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Nico
Most people given the name Nico in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Nico travels
Italian American · nickname-style short form of Niccolo/Nicholas, warmly used on its own
Keep exploring
Names like Nico · Greek baby names · Italian American baby names · Short names · Nickname-proof names
The Nico deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Nico truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Nico fits with your family’s names and surname.
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