Boys' name · peaked in 1998
Nickolas name popularity since 1925
37,790 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Nickolas. Half of them were born in 1995 or earlier, so the typical Nickolas is about 31 years old in 2026. Nickolas peaked in 1998 as the #259 name for boys, and it was outside the top 1,000 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 37,790
- Named Nickolas, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- Not top 1,000
- #1,498 for boys in 2025
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% boys
- 47 girls · 37,743 boys
- Most popular in
- Idaho
- 2.22× its national share
Peak year is the year Nickolas 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.
Nickolas births per year, 1925–2025
1998 was the biggest year for Nickolas both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1974 and 1979, Nickolas became 4.5× more common, from 1 in 12,900 baby boys to 1 in 2,840.
- Steepest fall: Between 2012 and 2017, its share of baby boys fell by 50%, from 1 in 4,150 to 1 in 8,300.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Nickolas's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Nickolas.
Decade by decade
Babies named Nickolas 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 | 0 | 625 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 685 | #828 |
| 1940s | 0 | 768 | #766 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,003 | #742 |
| 1960s | 0 | 910 | #857 |
| 1970s | 0 | 2,380 | #706 |
| 1980s | 42 | 7,237 | #306 |
| 1990s | 0 | 10,729 | #267 |
| 2000s | 5 | 9,012 | #328 |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,536 | #728 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 858 | #1,498 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
36.9% of babies named Nickolas from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Nickolas is most popular
The index compares Nickolas'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 Nickolas.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 2.22× | 305 |
| Washington | 1.85× | 1,066 |
| Utah | 1.79× | 527 |
| Oregon | 1.70× | 550 |
| Arizona | 1.61× | 721 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Nickolas's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Nickolas.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Nickolas (1998).
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