Boys' name · peaked in 1995
Nicholas name popularity since 1925
908,711 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Nicholas. Half of them were born in 1993 or earlier, so the typical Nicholas is about 33 years old in 2026. Nicholas peaked in 1995 as the #7 name for boys, and it ranked #112 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 908,711
- Named Nicholas, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #112
- for boys in 2025 (3,115 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 3,095 girls · 905,616 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 1.79× its national share
Peak year is the year Nicholas made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Nicholas births per year, 1925–2025
1995 was the biggest year for Nicholas both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1974 and 1979, Nicholas became 6.1× more common, from 1 in 489 baby boys to 1 in 81.
- Steepest fall: Between 2004 and 2009, its share of baby boys fell by 41%, from 1 in 107 to 1 in 183.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Nicholas's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Nicholas.
Decade by decade
Babies named Nicholas in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 55 | 6,331 | – |
| 1930s | 40 | 9,716 | #158 |
| 1940s | 28 | 15,503 | #151 |
| 1950s | 52 | 22,614 | #141 |
| 1960s | 68 | 22,339 | #150 |
| 1970s | 408 | 65,068 | #81 |
| 1980s | 1,394 | 223,308 | #19 |
| 1990s | 623 | 275,329 | #7 |
| 2000s | 322 | 177,609 | #15 |
| 2010s | 86 | 66,811 | #62 |
| 2020–25 | 19 | 20,988 | #112 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
44.0% of babies named Nicholas from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Nicholas is most popular
The index compares Nicholas's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Nicholas.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1.79× | 5,159 |
| Rhode Island | 1.67× | 5,432 |
| Connecticut | 1.63× | 16,208 |
| New Jersey | 1.59× | 40,005 |
| Massachusetts | 1.43× | 31,147 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Nicholas and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Nicholas (this page) | 905,616 | 1995 |
| Nicolas | 100,739 | 1998 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Nicholas's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Nicholas.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Nicholas (1995).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data