Nikolaj
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- NIK-o-lye
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
Nikolaj is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “victory of the people”. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies).
What does Nikolaj mean?
Greek: Danish, Slovene and Czech form of Nicholas
“victory of the people”
Form of Nicholas, the name of the 4th-century saint behind the figure of Santa Claus.
Is Nikolaj a girl's or a boy's name?
Nikolaj is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Nikolaj in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,065among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling fastdown 79% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 3 boys in the UK were named Nikolaj, making it the 5,065th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,562nd. Its busiest year was 2020, with 8 boys.
2025 had more boys named Nikolaj than any year since 2020.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,974th in England and Wales.
Nikolaj in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,065 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 8 | #2,562 |
| 2019 | 6 | #3,184 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 1 | #6,220 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 3 | #4,884 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 3 | #4,837 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 3 | #3,792 |
| 2003 | 1 | #4,616 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 3 | #3,255 |
How popular is Nikolaj in the US?
No boys in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2019, with 19 boys. It first appears in the records in 2001.
Half of all the boys named Nikolaj in the US since 1880 were born between 2012 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Nikolaj in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | #8,982 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 9 | #8,293 |
| 2021 | 9 | #8,161 |
| 2020 | 11 | #7,029 |
| 2019 | 19 | #4,947 |
| 2018 | 14 | #6,032 |
| 2017 | 10 | #7,542 |
| 2016 | 16 | #5,551 |
| 2015 | 8 | #8,739 |
| 2014 | 6 | #10,711 |
| 2013 | 5 | #12,129 |
| 2012 | 6 | #10,763 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 6 | #10,759 |
| 2009 | 5 | #12,486 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8,319 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 8 | #7,824 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 5 | #10,548 |
Nicknames for Nikolaj
- Nik 4 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Nikolaj
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Chidubem Tobechukwu Obi Kamsiyochukwu Munachimso Naetochukwu Mikolaj Somtochukwu Kenechukwu Bodhi Ayomide Obaloluwa
More Greek names
Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe
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, “Nikolaj: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nikolaj, updated 20 October 2026.