Boys' name · peaked in 1998
Nicolas name popularity since 1925
100,918 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Nicolas. Half of them were born in 2003 or earlier, so the typical Nicolas is about 23 years old in 2026. Nicolas peaked in 1998 as the #132 name for boys, and it ranked #177 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 100,918
- Named Nicolas, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #177
- for boys in 2025 (2,053 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% boys
- 179 girls · 100,739 boys
- Most popular in
- Florida
- 2.42× its national share
Peak year is the year Nicolas 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.
Nicolas births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2003. Measured as a share of all babies, Nicolas peaked in 1998.
- Fastest rise: Between 1974 and 1979, Nicolas became 3.7× more common, from 1 in 6,960 baby boys to 1 in 1,900.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Nicolas's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Nicolas.
Decade by decade
Babies named Nicolas 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 | 366 | – |
| 1930s | 5 | 567 | #829 |
| 1940s | 0 | 694 | #742 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,041 | #769 |
| 1960s | 0 | 1,388 | #639 |
| 1970s | 7 | 3,870 | #454 |
| 1980s | 77 | 10,268 | #231 |
| 1990s | 43 | 21,219 | #164 |
| 2000s | 42 | 28,267 | #136 |
| 2010s | 5 | 21,216 | #202 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 11,843 | #177 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
42.8% of babies named Nicolas from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Nicolas is most popular
The index compares Nicolas'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 Nicolas.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 2.42× | 8,677 |
| Nevada | 2.37× | 839 |
| California | 2.02× | 21,257 |
| Arizona | 1.82× | 2,344 |
| Texas | 1.74× | 13,572 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Nicolas 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nicolas (this page) | 100,739 | 1998 |
| Nicholas | 905,616 | 1995 |
| Nikolas | 24,035 | 2004 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Nicolas's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Nicolas.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Nicolas (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