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Nicola

Gender
Girl
Say it
NIK-o-la
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#4,276 for girls
US rank, 2025
#3,847 for boys

Nicola is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “victory of the people”. In 2025 it ranked 4,276th for girls in the UK (5 babies) and 3,847th for boys in the US (28 babies).

What does Nicola mean?

Greek: feminine of Nicholas in English; masculine in Italian

“victory of the people”

In Britain it is the usual feminine of Nicholas, while in Italy Nicola is a boy's name.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Nicola a girl's or a boy's name?

Nicola is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 5 girls and 3 boys in the UK and 12 girls and 28 boys in the US.

How popular is Nicola in the UK?

Rank in 2025
4,276th among girls
Babies in 2025
5 about 1 in 56,000 girls
Five-year trend
Falling fast down 73% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 5 girls in the UK were named Nicola, making it the 4,276th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,033rd. Its busiest year was 1996, with 839 girls. 3 boys were also named Nicola in 2025 (5,065th for boys).

2025 had the fewest girls named Nicola since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the girls named Nicola in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2009. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2023, 75% of the babies named Nicola in the UK were girls.

Among girls in 2025, it was 4,200th in England and Wales.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1954 (#97), 1964 (#27), 1974 (#3), 1984 (#12) and 1994 (#58).

1996Busiest: 839 in 19962025
Nicola in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20255#4,276
202415#1,953
202312#2,329
202227#1,283
202127#1,295
202035#1,033
201937#1,025
201848#849
201761#727
2016104#464
2015145#354
2014169#306
2013165#318
2012188#292
2011202#272
2010219#256
2009235#236
2008272#214
2007239#240
2006175#293
2005149#314
2004181#268
2003210#239
2002245#192
2001326#157
2000348#149
1999432#127
1998553#106
1997701#87
1996839#77

How popular is Nicola in the US?

Rank in 2025
3,847th among boys
Babies in 2025
28 about 1 in 61,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 14% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 28 boys in the US were named Nicola, making it the 3,847th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,915th. Its busiest year was 1972, with 53 boys. It first appears in the records in 1908. 12 girls were also named Nicola in 2025 (8,360th for girls).

2025 had fewer boys named Nicola than any year since 2020.

Half of all the boys named Nicola in the US since 1880 were born between 1961 and 2000, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 30% of the babies named Nicola in the US were girls.

1908Busiest: 53 in 19722025
Nicola in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
202528#3,847
202435#3,333
202329#3,799
202237#3,214
202135#3,295
202026#3,915
201927#3,896
201828#3,789
201726#3,989
201620#4,775
201531#3,512
201418#5,062
201322#4,311
201223#4,248
201127#3,790
201023#4,240
200928#3,719
200837#3,101
200737#3,088
200630#3,449
200526#3,611
200433#3,010
200340#2,541
200233#2,813
200142#2,342
200043#2,252
199941#2,228
199835#2,447
199748#1,905
199640#2,110
199542#1,983
199438#2,118
199338#2,086
199243#1,879
199146#1,738
199042#1,835
198948#1,636
198833#1,944
198725#2,268
198629#2,005
198534#1,763
198431#1,795
198327#1,954
198231#1,814
198131#1,810
198031#1,808
197942#1,435
197843#1,410
197740#1,450
197639#1,427
197543#1,322
197442#1,311
197347#1,201
197253#1,120
197145#1,235
197047#1,207
196947#1,136
196834#1,314
196719#1,808
196633#1,326
196540#1,206
196437#1,287
196343#1,174
196226#1,545
196124#1,634
196032#1,399
195916#2,032
195819#1,837
195725#1,582
195624#1,607
195510#2,557
195417#1,886
19539#2,708
195211#2,374
195115#1,971
195013#2,110
19499#2,605
194812#2,217
19478#2,861
194612#2,142
19457#2,742
19446#3,108
19430–
19429#2,522
19419#2,491
194012#2,081
19398#2,609
19388#2,646
19370–
19367#2,853
19359#2,529
193412#2,121
19339#2,541
193210#2,465
193113#2,101
19309#2,779
192921#1,611
192816#1,960
192714#2,193
192618#1,846
192516#2,011
192422#1,675
192324#1,551
192213#2,346
192119#1,828
192025#1,505
191928#1,351
191829#1,312
191723#1,479
191625#1,374
191531#1,159
191418#1,441
191315#1,364
191217#1,137
19116#1,536
19105#1,588
19090–
19086#1,216

Nicknames for Nicola

Names like Nicola

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Jessica, Melissa, Alexandra, Francesca, Georgina, Lara, Rebecca, Athena, Cassandra, Joanna, Christina, Zoe

Names related to Nicola

Nicole, Nikola, Nicolle, Nicol, Nichole, Nichola, Nichol, Nikolai, Nicolai, Niccolo, Nicolo

More Greek names

Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Iris

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and 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, “Nicola: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nicola, updated 20 October 2026.