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Nicolas

boy name
Origin
Spanish
Syllables
3
Peak era
2000s/2020s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Nicolas and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

victory of the people

Also written Nicolás.

The story

Nicolas is the French form of Nicholas, a name built from Greek elements for victory and people. The accent distinguishes Spanish Nicolás on the page, but both spellings belong to the same far-traveling family, alongside Italian Nicola, German Nikolaus, Russian Nikolai, and many shorter Nicks and Nicos. Saint Nicholas gave the family extraordinary reach across Christian Europe, while each language shaped the sound for itself. The US curve for Nicolas stays quiet through the early twentieth century, begins moving in the 1970s and 1980s, climbs through the 1990s and 2000s, and remains at its displayed high level in the 2010s and 2020s. That is the profile of an international classic finding a durable American spelling. Nicolas does not need novelty to feel current. Its strength is recognition across languages without being identical in all of them.

More names with stories →

Nicolas across languages

One shared root links 13 names across 6 languages.

Shared root: from Greek Nikolaos, nike "victory" + laos "people"

The constellation

NicolásSpanishNicolaItalianNilsScandinavian
10 more branches of this family
NickolasEnglish · variantNikolasGreek · variantNickEnglish · short formNikoGreek · short formNicoleFrench · feminine formNicholeEnglish · variantNicolleEnglish · variantNikkiEnglish · short formNicoletteFrench · diminutiveColletteFrench · diminutive

Ways to honor Nicholas →

Sources list Nicolas among the forms of Nicholas (Spanish · French).

How popular is Nicolas around the world?

In the United States, 11,843 babies were named Nicolas between 2020 and 2025. In Argentina, 4,303 newborns were given the name Nicolas in 2024.

Nicolas is on the official records of the United States, Argentina, Montevideo, Chile, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Spain, Austria, Canada, Ireland, Norway, France, Poland, England and Wales, South Australia and Scotland.

Nicolas crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record, of a Spanish-speaking one and of Brazil’s 2022 census, which counts people of every age. The full lists: English and Spanish · English and Portuguese · Spanish and Portuguese

United States

1 in 1,800

In the United States, 11,843 babies were named Nicolas between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2000s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Nicolas peaked in the 2000s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Argentina

1 in 150

In Argentina, 4,303 newborns were given the name Nicolas in 2024.

peak 20122024

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

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Montevideo City

1 in 200 · 2011

In Montevideo, 122 boys named Nicolas were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 1998

share of that year’s births on record

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

See the full list for Montevideo →

Chile

1 in 210

In Chile, 849 boys were registered as Nicolas in 2021, every accent spelling counted together, most often written Nicolás.

1920peak 1999

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

See the full list for Chile →

Mexico City City

1 in 260

In Mexico City, there were 446 registrations of Nicolas in 2022.

2000peak 2020

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 (28 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

See the full list for Mexico City →

Puerto Rico

1 in 280

In Puerto Rico, 65 babies were named Nicolas in 2025, and 1,300 have carried the name since 1998.

1998peak 2022

share of that year’s births on record

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)

See the full list for Puerto Rico →

Brazil

1 in 650

At the 2022 census, 310,593 people in Brazil were named Nicolas, the 90th most common name, with a median age of 8.
Among people named Nicolas living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.

1930speak 2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 65,413 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

See the full list for Brazil →

Spain

1 in 680

In Spain, 65,659 residents are named Nicolas, the 65th most common name among men, with a mean age of 28.9 years.
In Spain, Nicolas was the 22nd 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

See the full list for Spain →

Austria

1 in 1,400

In Austria, 55 boys named Nicolas were born in 2025, the 124th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

1984peak 20022025

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)

See the full list for Austria →

Canada

1 in 2,000

In Canada, 182 boys named Nicolas were born in 2024, the 188th most common name among boys that year.

1991peak 19992024

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)

See the full list for Canada →

Ireland

1 in 2,500

In Ireland, 22 boys named Nicolas were born in 2025, the 211th most common name among boys that year.

1980peak 20102025

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. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Nicolas, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

See the full list for Ireland →

Norway

1 in 2,600 · register 2026

In Norway, 11 boys were given the name Nicolas in 2025.

1945peak 2015

share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

See the full list for Norway →

France

1 in 3,200

In France, about 200 boys named Nicolas were born in 2025, the 269th most common name among boys that year.

1900peak 19802025

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)

See the full list for France →

Poland

1 in 3,500

In Poland, 70 boys named Nicolas were born in 2025, the 148th most common name among boys that year.

2000peak 20092025

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. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Nicolas, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

See the full list for Poland →

England and Wales

1 in 5,100

In England and Wales, 115 boys named Nicolas were born in 2025, the 363rd most common name among boys that year.

1996peak 2020

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

See the full list for England and Wales →

South Australia

1 in 9,200 · 2017

In South Australia, 2 boys were registered as Nicolas in 2017.

1944peak 2004

share of that year’s name registrations

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

See the full list for South Australia →

Scotland

1 in 11,000

In Scotland, 4 boys named Nicolas were registered in 2024, the 619th most common name among boys that year.

1974peak 2013

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

See the full list for Scotland →

New Zealand

last on record 2024

Nicolas is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

1960peak 19812025

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

See the full list for New Zealand →

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Nicolas

Most people given the name Nicolas in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Nicolas

Luis Carlos Davi Jorge Cristian Cesar

Where Nicolas travels

Mexican American · victory of the people (Spanish form of Nicholas)

Keep exploring

French baby names · Mexican American baby names

Name trails: explore connections from Nicolas →

The Nicolas deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Nicolas 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 Nicolas fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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