A name. A world of connections.

Nicolaus

“victor of peoples”

masculineLatin script

Hear the name

Origin: Ancient Greek
4 language contexts: German Danish Finnish +1 more
Follow the evidence: 10 cited sources Source-reported

01 / Meaning & origin

About Nicolaus

Nicolaus is a masculine given name documented in German, Danish, Finnish and 1 other language. English Wiktionary traces it to Ancient Greek Νῑκόλᾱος. Latin Wikipedia gives the meaning “victor of peoples”.

Ancient Greek origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “victor of peoples”

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Νῑκόλᾱος (Nīkólāos).

Sources for this account (7)

Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
German Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Greek Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Italian Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (la): NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Documented usage

View usage notes (5)

Masculine usage · Wikidata Q1986777
Masculine usage in German · Wiktionary: Nicolaus
Masculine usage in Latin · Wiktionary: Nicolaus
Masculine usage in Danish · Greek Wiktionary: Nicolaus
Masculine usage in Finnish · Greek Wiktionary: Nicolaus

Explore all 4 language contexts

Linguistic usage labels come from name dictionaries. They are separate from the sex categories recorded in statistical files.

Spelling and script

Written form “Nicolaus” in the Latin script. Wikidata item Q1986777.

All pronunciation details (9)

[ˈniːkolaʊ̯s] — German
[ˈnɪkolaʊ̯s] — German
/ˈnɪkolaʊ̯s/ — German (singular)
[ni.koˈlaː.us] — Latin (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical)
[niː.kɔˈɫaː.ʊs] — Latin (Classical Latin)
/\niː.koˈlaː.us\/ — Latin
[niːkɔˈɫ̪äːʊs̠] — Latin
/\ni.koˈla.us\/ — Latin
[nikoˈläːus] — Latin

02 / Across borders

Where Nicolaus is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Nicolaus’s connections around the world.

4 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Published statistics

United States, 2023: 9 boys (rank 8255).

Explore United States

4 of 8 countries

03 / By the numbers

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: Nicolaus

Region and dataset

Recorded category boys

Latest · 2023: 9; applications; Rank #8,255
Peak year: 1998; 47 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Nicolaus in United States, boys: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	no value	no value	not covered
1881	no value	no value	not covered
1882	no value	no value	not covered
1883	no value	no value	not covered
1884	no value	no value	not covered
1885	no value	no value	not covered
1886	no value	no value	not covered
1887	no value	no value	not covered
1888	no value	no value	not covered
1889	no value	no value	not covered
1890	no value	no value	not covered
1891	no value	no value	not covered
1892	no value	no value	not covered
1893	no value	no value	not covered
1894	no value	no value	not covered
1895	no value	no value	not covered
1896	no value	no value	not covered
1897	no value	no value	not covered
1898	no value	no value	not covered
1899	no value	no value	not covered
1900	no value	no value	not covered
1901	no value	no value	not covered
1902	no value	no value	not covered
1903	no value	no value	not covered
1904	no value	no value	not covered
1905	no value	no value	not covered
1906	no value	no value	not covered
1907	no value	no value	not covered
1908	no value	no value	not covered
1909	no value	no value	not covered
1910	no value	no value	not covered
1911	no value	no value	not covered
1912	no value	no value	not covered
1913	no value	no value	not covered
1914	no value	no value	not covered
1915	no value	no value	not covered
1916	no value	no value	not covered
1917	no value	no value	not covered
1918	no value	no value	not covered
1919	no value	no value	not covered
1920	no value	no value	not covered
1921	no value	no value	not covered
1922	no value	no value	not covered
1923	no value	no value	not covered
1924	no value	no value	not covered
1925	no value	no value	not covered
1926	no value	no value	not covered
1927	no value	no value	not covered
1928	no value	no value	not covered
1929	no value	no value	not covered
1930	no value	no value	not covered
1931	no value	no value	not covered
1932	no value	no value	not covered
1933	no value	no value	not covered
1934	no value	no value	not covered
1935	no value	no value	not covered
1936	no value	no value	not covered
1937	no value	no value	not covered
1938	no value	no value	not covered
1939	no value	no value	not covered
1940	no value	no value	not covered
1941	no value	no value	not covered
1942	no value	no value	not covered
1943	no value	no value	not covered
1944	no value	no value	not covered
1945	no value	no value	not covered
1946	no value	no value	not covered
1947	no value	no value	not covered
1948	no value	no value	not covered
1949	no value	no value	not covered
1950	no value	no value	not covered
1951	no value	no value	not covered
1952	no value	no value	not covered
1953	no value	no value	not covered
1954	no value	no value	not covered
1955	no value	no value	not covered
1956	no value	no value	not covered
1957	no value	no value	not covered
1958	no value	no value	not covered
1959	no value	no value	not covered
1960	no value	no value	not covered
1961	no value	no value	not covered
1962	no value	no value	not covered
1963	no value	no value	not covered
1964	no value	no value	not covered
1965	no value	no value	not covered
1966	no value	no value	not covered
1967	no value	no value	not covered
1968	no value	no value	not covered
1969	no value	no value	not covered
1970	no value	no value	not covered
1971	5	4,907	observed
1972	no value	no value	not covered
1973	10	3,223	observed
1974	7	4,190	observed
1975	5	5,464	observed
1976	9	3,724	observed
1977	9	3,836	observed
1978	27	1,870	observed
1979	29	1,867	observed
1980	30	1,852	observed
1981	29	1,899	observed
1982	22	2,269	observed
1983	30	1,822	observed
1984	20	2,437	observed
1985	31	1,866	observed
1986	24	2,290	observed
1987	26	2,215	observed
1988	27	2,255	observed
1989	31	2,206	observed
1990	38	1,968	observed
1991	33	2,190	observed
1992	29	2,467	observed
1993	34	2,257	observed
1994	44	1,894	observed
1995	46	1,864	observed
1996	35	2,299	observed
1997	30	2,613	observed
1998	47	2,012	observed
1999	38	2,347	observed
2000	33	2,736	observed
2001	38	2,520	observed
2002	31	2,943	observed
2003	28	3,280	observed
2004	21	4,129	observed
2005	23	3,941	observed
2006	21	4,370	observed
2007	28	3,687	observed
2008	21	4,540	observed
2009	22	4,429	observed
2010	19	4,848	observed
2011	17	5,200	observed
2012	11	7,050	observed
2013	16	5,404	observed
2014	9	8,130	observed
2015	12	6,676	observed
2016	no value	no value	not covered
2017	15	5,788	observed
2018	6	10,760	observed
2019	10	7,643	observed
2020	6	10,605	observed
2021	no value	no value	not covered
2022	no value	no value	not covered
2023	9	8,255	observed
2024	no value	no value	not covered
2025	no value	no value	not covered

About this dataset and its counting rules

Statistics count the spelling “Nicolaus” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

04 / Through time

History

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Nicolaus Otto
1832–1891
German inventor (1832–1891)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti
1735–1805
Austrian naturalist (1735-1805)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Nicolaus Bruhns
1665–1697
Danish-German organist and composer
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Nicolaus Michael Oppel
1782–1820
German naturalist
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Nicolaus von Below
1907–1983
German luftwaffe officer (1907-1983)
Wikipedia Wikidata source

A little story to keep

A name worth keeping.

Take the story of Nicolaus with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.

06 / Behind the facts

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms8

Wikidata Q1986777CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
German Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
French Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Italian Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (la): NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences2

Wikimedia Commons: File:De-Nicolaus.oggCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikimedia Commons: File:LL-Q9027 (swe)-Moonhouse-Nicolaus.wavCC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates4

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

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About Nicolaus

Ancient Greek origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “victor of peoples”

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Νῑκόλᾱος (Nīkólāos).

Sources for this account (7)

Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
German Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Greek Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Italian Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (la): NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Documented usage

View usage notes (5)

Masculine usage · Wikidata Q1986777
Masculine usage in German · Wiktionary: Nicolaus
Masculine usage in Latin · Wiktionary: Nicolaus
Masculine usage in Danish · Greek Wiktionary: Nicolaus
Masculine usage in Finnish · Greek Wiktionary: Nicolaus

Explore all 4 language contexts

Linguistic usage labels come from name dictionaries. They are separate from the sex categories recorded in statistical files.

Spelling and script

Written form “Nicolaus” in the Latin script. Wikidata item Q1986777.

All pronunciation details (9)

[ˈniːkolaʊ̯s] — German
[ˈnɪkolaʊ̯s] — German
/ˈnɪkolaʊ̯s/ — German (singular)
[ni.koˈlaː.us] — Latin (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical)
[niː.kɔˈɫaː.ʊs] — Latin (Classical Latin)
/\niː.koˈlaː.us\/ — Latin
[niːkɔˈɫ̪äːʊs̠] — Latin
/\ni.koˈla.us\/ — Latin
[nikoˈläːus] — Latin

Where Nicolaus is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Nicolaus’s connections around the world.

4 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Published statistics

United States, 2023: 9 boys (rank 8255).

Explore United States

4 of 8 countries

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: Nicolaus

Region and dataset

Recorded category boys

Latest · 2023: 9; applications; Rank #8,255
Peak year: 1998; 47 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Nicolaus in United States, boys: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	no value	no value	not covered
1881	no value	no value	not covered
1882	no value	no value	not covered
1883	no value	no value	not covered
1884	no value	no value	not covered
1885	no value	no value	not covered
1886	no value	no value	not covered
1887	no value	no value	not covered
1888	no value	no value	not covered
1889	no value	no value	not covered
1890	no value	no value	not covered
1891	no value	no value	not covered
1892	no value	no value	not covered
1893	no value	no value	not covered
1894	no value	no value	not covered
1895	no value	no value	not covered
1896	no value	no value	not covered
1897	no value	no value	not covered
1898	no value	no value	not covered
1899	no value	no value	not covered
1900	no value	no value	not covered
1901	no value	no value	not covered
1902	no value	no value	not covered
1903	no value	no value	not covered
1904	no value	no value	not covered
1905	no value	no value	not covered
1906	no value	no value	not covered
1907	no value	no value	not covered
1908	no value	no value	not covered
1909	no value	no value	not covered
1910	no value	no value	not covered
1911	no value	no value	not covered
1912	no value	no value	not covered
1913	no value	no value	not covered
1914	no value	no value	not covered
1915	no value	no value	not covered
1916	no value	no value	not covered
1917	no value	no value	not covered
1918	no value	no value	not covered
1919	no value	no value	not covered
1920	no value	no value	not covered
1921	no value	no value	not covered
1922	no value	no value	not covered
1923	no value	no value	not covered
1924	no value	no value	not covered
1925	no value	no value	not covered
1926	no value	no value	not covered
1927	no value	no value	not covered
1928	no value	no value	not covered
1929	no value	no value	not covered
1930	no value	no value	not covered
1931	no value	no value	not covered
1932	no value	no value	not covered
1933	no value	no value	not covered
1934	no value	no value	not covered
1935	no value	no value	not covered
1936	no value	no value	not covered
1937	no value	no value	not covered
1938	no value	no value	not covered
1939	no value	no value	not covered
1940	no value	no value	not covered
1941	no value	no value	not covered
1942	no value	no value	not covered
1943	no value	no value	not covered
1944	no value	no value	not covered
1945	no value	no value	not covered
1946	no value	no value	not covered
1947	no value	no value	not covered
1948	no value	no value	not covered
1949	no value	no value	not covered
1950	no value	no value	not covered
1951	no value	no value	not covered
1952	no value	no value	not covered
1953	no value	no value	not covered
1954	no value	no value	not covered
1955	no value	no value	not covered
1956	no value	no value	not covered
1957	no value	no value	not covered
1958	no value	no value	not covered
1959	no value	no value	not covered
1960	no value	no value	not covered
1961	no value	no value	not covered
1962	no value	no value	not covered
1963	no value	no value	not covered
1964	no value	no value	not covered
1965	no value	no value	not covered
1966	no value	no value	not covered
1967	no value	no value	not covered
1968	no value	no value	not covered
1969	no value	no value	not covered
1970	no value	no value	not covered
1971	5	4,907	observed
1972	no value	no value	not covered
1973	10	3,223	observed
1974	7	4,190	observed
1975	5	5,464	observed
1976	9	3,724	observed
1977	9	3,836	observed
1978	27	1,870	observed
1979	29	1,867	observed
1980	30	1,852	observed
1981	29	1,899	observed
1982	22	2,269	observed
1983	30	1,822	observed
1984	20	2,437	observed
1985	31	1,866	observed
1986	24	2,290	observed
1987	26	2,215	observed
1988	27	2,255	observed
1989	31	2,206	observed
1990	38	1,968	observed
1991	33	2,190	observed
1992	29	2,467	observed
1993	34	2,257	observed
1994	44	1,894	observed
1995	46	1,864	observed
1996	35	2,299	observed
1997	30	2,613	observed
1998	47	2,012	observed
1999	38	2,347	observed
2000	33	2,736	observed
2001	38	2,520	observed
2002	31	2,943	observed
2003	28	3,280	observed
2004	21	4,129	observed
2005	23	3,941	observed
2006	21	4,370	observed
2007	28	3,687	observed
2008	21	4,540	observed
2009	22	4,429	observed
2010	19	4,848	observed
2011	17	5,200	observed
2012	11	7,050	observed
2013	16	5,404	observed
2014	9	8,130	observed
2015	12	6,676	observed
2016	no value	no value	not covered
2017	15	5,788	observed
2018	6	10,760	observed
2019	10	7,643	observed
2020	6	10,605	observed
2021	no value	no value	not covered
2022	no value	no value	not covered
2023	9	8,255	observed
2024	no value	no value	not covered
2025	no value	no value	not covered

About this dataset and its counting rules

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

History

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Nicolaus Otto
1832–1891
German inventor (1832–1891)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti
1735–1805
Austrian naturalist (1735-1805)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Nicolaus Bruhns
1665–1697
Danish-German organist and composer
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Nicolaus Michael Oppel
1782–1820
German naturalist
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Nicolaus von Below
1907–1983
German luftwaffe officer (1907-1983)
Wikipedia Wikidata source

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms8

Wikidata Q1986777CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
German Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
French Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Italian Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (la): NicolausCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences2

Wikimedia Commons: File:De-Nicolaus.oggCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikimedia Commons: File:LL-Q9027 (swe)-Moonhouse-Nicolaus.wavCC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates4

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

A story to pass on.

About Nicolaus

Ancient Greek origin

Where Nicolaus is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Notable bearers

Nicolaus Otto

Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti

Nicolaus Bruhns

Nicolaus Michael Oppel

Nicolaus von Below

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About Nicolaus

Ancient Greek origin

Where Nicolaus is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Notable bearers

Nicolaus Otto

Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti

Nicolaus Bruhns

Nicolaus Michael Oppel

Nicolaus von Below

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page