Nicholai
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- NIK-oh-lye
- Origin
- Greek
- US rank, 2025
- #6,799 for boys
Nicholai is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “victory of the people”. In 2025 it ranked 6,799th for boys in the US (12 babies).
What does Nicholai mean?
Greek: variant of Nikolai, the Russian form of Nicholas
“victory of the people”
Nicholas was the 4th-century bishop of Myra whose legend grew into Santa Claus.
Is Nicholai a girl's or a boy's name?
Nicholai is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 12 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Nicholai in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,799th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 12 about 1 in 140,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 51% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 12 boys in the US were named Nicholai, making it the 6,799th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,017th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 51 boys. It first appears in the records in 1962.
Half of all the boys named Nicholai in the US since 1880 were born between 2001 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Nicholai in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #6,799 |
| 2024 | 17 | #5,439 |
| 2023 | 12 | #6,892 |
| 2022 | 13 | #6,473 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5,557 |
| 2020 | 25 | #4,017 |
| 2019 | 29 | #3,713 |
| 2018 | 30 | #3,603 |
| 2017 | 51 | #2,492 |
| 2016 | 33 | #3,357 |
| 2015 | 38 | #3,021 |
| 2014 | 29 | #3,615 |
| 2013 | 47 | #2,560 |
| 2012 | 39 | #2,952 |
| 2011 | 45 | #2,662 |
| 2010 | 51 | #2,428 |
| 2009 | 38 | #3,044 |
| 2008 | 47 | #2,631 |
| 2007 | 36 | #3,133 |
| 2006 | 46 | #2,577 |
| 2005 | 34 | #3,018 |
| 2004 | 28 | #3,364 |
| 2003 | 24 | #3,621 |
| 2002 | 19 | #4,182 |
| 2001 | 16 | #4,670 |
| 2000 | 12 | #5,581 |
| 1999 | 12 | #5,311 |
| 1998 | 12 | #5,153 |
| 1997 | 13 | #4,663 |
| 1996 | 13 | #4,606 |
| 1995 | 12 | #4,785 |
| 1994 | 10 | #5,446 |
| 1993 | 18 | #3,495 |
| 1992 | 9 | #5,652 |
| 1991 | 9 | #5,513 |
| 1990 | 12 | #4,401 |
| 1989 | 16 | #3,440 |
| 1988 | 8 | #5,194 |
| 1987 | 5 | #6,945 |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 8 | #4,693 |
| 1984 | 12 | #3,457 |
| 1983 | 14 | #3,070 |
| 1982 | 12 | #3,481 |
| 1981 | 7 | #4,959 |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,523 |
| 1979 | 5 | #6,054 |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 5 | #5,099 |
| 1972 | 7 | #3,960 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 5 | #4,031 |
Nicknames for Nicholai
Names like Nicholai
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Nikolai, Nico, Malachi, Adonis, Orion, Kai, Cristian, Omari, Noah, Apollo, Makai, Giovanni
Names related to Nicholai
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Nicholai: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nicholai, updated 20 October 2026.