Nikolay
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- nee-ko-LY
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,021 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #6,140 for boys
Nikolay is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “victory of the people”. In 2025 it ranked 3,021st for boys in the UK (7 babies) and 6,140th for boys in the US (14 babies).
What does Nikolay mean?
Greek: Russian and Bulgarian form of Nicholas
“victory of the people”
A transliteration of the Russian and Bulgarian form of Nicholas.
Is Nikolay a girl's or a boy's name?
Nikolay is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 7 boys in the UK and 14 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Nikolay in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,021st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 7 about 1 in 43,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 42% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 7 boys in the UK were named Nikolay, making it the 3,021st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,462nd. Its busiest year was 2021, with 21 boys.
It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Nikolay than any year since 2014.
Half of all the boys named Nikolay in the UK since 1996 were born between 2015 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 30 boys in the UK were given Nikolay or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #951, up from #3,021 for this spelling alone.
- Nikolai 23
- Nikolay 7
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,938th in England and Wales.
Nikolay in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #3,021 |
| 2024 | 10 | #2,328 |
| 2023 | 11 | #2,155 |
| 2022 | 20 | #1,404 |
| 2021 | 21 | #1,341 |
| 2020 | 18 | #1,462 |
| 2019 | 14 | #1,756 |
| 2018 | 16 | #1,638 |
| 2017 | 15 | #1,738 |
| 2016 | 8 | #2,690 |
| 2015 | 15 | #1,693 |
| 2014 | 7 | #2,843 |
| 2013 | 9 | #2,334 |
| 2012 | 6 | #3,167 |
| 2011 | 7 | #2,736 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,092 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 6 | #2,906 |
How popular is Nikolay in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,140th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 14 about 1 in 120,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 14 boys in the US were named Nikolay, making it the 6,140th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,231st. Its busiest year was 2010, with 32 boys. It first appears in the records in 1992.
Half of all the boys named Nikolay in the US since 1880 were born between 2006 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 493 boys in the US were given Nikolay or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #572, up from #6,140 for this spelling alone.
Nikolay in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #6,140 |
| 2024 | 20 | #4,886 |
| 2023 | 7 | #9,757 |
| 2022 | 17 | #5,441 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5,557 |
| 2020 | 17 | #5,231 |
| 2019 | 17 | #5,336 |
| 2018 | 13 | #6,341 |
| 2017 | 19 | #4,931 |
| 2016 | 15 | #5,785 |
| 2015 | 27 | #3,881 |
| 2014 | 29 | #3,615 |
| 2013 | 27 | #3,751 |
| 2012 | 19 | #4,857 |
| 2011 | 21 | #4,507 |
| 2010 | 32 | #3,376 |
| 2009 | 31 | #3,474 |
| 2008 | 15 | #5,762 |
| 2007 | 17 | #5,207 |
| 2006 | 22 | #4,219 |
| 2005 | 14 | #5,572 |
| 2004 | 22 | #4,000 |
| 2003 | 11 | #6,251 |
| 2002 | 11 | #6,081 |
| 2001 | 9 | #6,928 |
| 2000 | 11 | #5,913 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 6 | #8,472 |
| 1997 | 7 | #7,275 |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 5 | #8,861 |
| 1994 | 6 | #7,764 |
| 1993 | 5 | #8,693 |
| 1992 | 5 | #8,426 |
Names like Nikolay
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Nico, Luca, Ozzy, Noah, Theo, Rafferty, Marley, Remy, Sebastian, Oakley, Koa, Finley
Other spellings of Nikolay
Names related to Nikolay
More Greek names
Theodore, Sophia, George, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Iris, Maisie, Lainey
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, “Nikolay: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nikolay, updated 20 October 2026.