Nicholas

#10,917 for girls in 2025, 8 births · #112 for boys in 2025, 3,115 births
Given to boys 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1999 · 25,639 births
Debut · boys
73 births
In top 100 · boys
51 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
926,047
since 1880

Nicholas over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020202002peak #5, 1999boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#10,9178#1123,115
2024—#1173,038
2023—#1093,261
2022#13,5926#973,643
2021—#923,866
2020#15,0885#874,065
2019#11,3568#784,642
2018—#744,847
2017#14,1246#685,372
2016#14,3316#635,765
2015#13,0067#626,263
2014#8,96612#576,779
2013#8,58013#547,147
2012#12,1998#497,742
2011#7,78315#428,601
2010#9,79011#379,653
2009#7,06618#3210,856
2008#6,35021#2912,533
2007#8,52014#2014,362
2006#7,48216#1715,675
2005#5,26624#1517,076
2004#2,37072#1318,519
2003#3,29144#1219,696
2002#3,46139#921,390
2001#3,70335#622,849
2000#3,40439#624,653
1999#3,24539#525,639
1998#3,22238#626,632
1997#2,51151#627,258
1996#2,45152#627,724
1995#2,34556#729,160
1994#2,07966#927,770
1993#1,65391#828,114
1992#1,79880#1227,762
1991#1,76681#1227,357
1990#1,97469#1427,913
1989#1,288122#1428,230
1988#1,132135#1425,303
1987#983160#1623,247
1986#1,097135#1722,800
1985#957162#1922,384
1984#988146#2021,017
1983#1,037135#2119,891
1982#1,058136#2219,643
1981#1,114124#2119,775
1980#1,030139#1721,018
1979#1,012140#1521,344
1978#1,169108#2516,342
1977#2,51534#516,071
1976#3,40720#773,466
1975#2,96924#813,319
1974#3,21221#803,218
1973#3,78716#853,153
1972#3,71416#992,843
1971#3,06222#1232,608
1970#6,3627#1232,704
1969#5,4568#1232,577
1968#3,31516#1182,548
1967#3,84512#1302,288
1966#5,2737#1392,139
1965#5,2897#1492,068
1964—#1582,069
1963#4,27210#1552,130
1962—#1552,144
1961#4,8828#1582,078
1960—#1532,298
1959#5,5666#1562,196
1958#4,1939#1532,189
1957#4,9187#1522,197
1956#5,3256#1472,212
1955#4,3768#1412,186
1954#3,49011#1342,368
1953#5,6735#1312,359
1952—#1272,343
1951—#1202,388
1950—#1242,176
1949#5,2445#1361,998
1948#5,2435#1421,929
1947—#1431,935
1946—#1441,675
1945#4,0256#1511,357
1944—#1501,361
1943#4,1966#1481,434
1942—#1421,500
1941#3,9546#1461,212
1940—#1541,102
1939—#1561,032
1938#4,3425#161989
1937—#159935
1936—#157929
1935—#158911
1934—#165873
1933#3,4067#160888
1932#3,9016#163925
1931#3,2268#1451,103
1930#2,30614#1471,131
1929#2,43713#1421,192
1928#3,7437#1401,216
1927#2,69912#1371,272
1926#2,25716#1331,319
1925#4,0287#1331,332
1924#2,66113#1221,488
1923#4,9675#1201,468
1922#4,0117#1221,414
1921#4,4646#1141,553
1920#4,3986#1241,354
1919#3,8177#1221,321
1918—#1131,488
1917#4,0836#1091,412
1916#3,5527#1071,419
1915—#1041,427
1914—#1021,151
1913—#110796
1912—#113676
1911—#120308
1910—#137235
1909—#133204
1908—#113226
1907—#143161
1906—#143144
1905—#171112
1904—#177102
1903—#18490
1902—#156112
1901—#16888
1900—#19995
1899—#19669
1898—#17294
1897—#17787
1896—#156106
1895—#18784
1894—#19277
1893—#16289
1892—#16695
1891—#16478
1890—#17578
1889—#19168
1888—#15797
1887—#15779
1886—#16285
1885—#19566
1884—#19369
1883—#17471
1882—#19366
1881—#20356
1880—#17773
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Nicholas was already there! It came in at #177, and was given to 73 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1885, when fewer than 74 boys a year got the name.

Where Nicholas is popular in 2002

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #12 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 84 boysAKMaine: #4 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 54 boysMEVermont: #6 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 50 boysVTNew Hampshire: #3 for boys · 112 births · 1 in 51 boysNHWashington: #15 for boys · 330 births · 1 in 102 boysWAIdaho: #34 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 137 boysIDMontana: #17 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 93 boysMTNorth Dakota: #24 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 105 boysNDMinnesota: #5 for boys · 452 births · 1 in 65 boysMNIllinois: #6 for boys · 1,012 births · 1 in 77 boysILWisconsin: #4 for boys · 422 births · 1 in 68 boysWIMichigan: #5 for boys · 826 births · 1 in 68 boysMINew York: #3 for boys · 2,057 births · 1 in 54 boysNYMassachusetts: #3 for boys · 749 births · 1 in 47 boysMARhode Island: #1 for boys · 138 births · 1 in 38 boysRIOregon: #28 for boys · 163 births · 1 in 118 boysORNevada: #13 for boys · 141 births · 1 in 91 boysNVWyoming: #15 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 80 boysWYSouth Dakota: #15 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 86 boysSDIowa: #8 for boys · 211 births · 1 in 77 boysIAIndiana: #11 for boys · 448 births · 1 in 83 boysINOhio: #5 for boys · 993 births · 1 in 67 boysOHPennsylvania: #4 for boys · 1,040 births · 1 in 61 boysPANew Jersey: #3 for boys · 1,044 births · 1 in 46 boysNJConnecticut: #3 for boys · 397 births · 1 in 45 boysCTCalifornia: #20 for boys · 2,208 births · 1 in 111 boysCAUtah: #28 for boys · 161 births · 1 in 133 boysUTColorado: #12 for boys · 295 births · 1 in 102 boysCONebraska: #20 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 105 boysNEMissouri: #12 for boys · 404 births · 1 in 82 boysMOKentucky: #16 for boys · 298 births · 1 in 78 boysKYWest Virginia: #15 for boys · 125 births · 1 in 71 boysWVVirginia: #11 for boys · 524 births · 1 in 77 boysVAMaryland: #8 for boys · 414 births · 1 in 68 boysMDDelaware: #2 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 47 boysDEArizona: #24 for boys · 336 births · 1 in 116 boysAZNew Mexico: #25 for boys · 90 births · 1 in 118 boysNMKansas: #7 for boys · 187 births · 1 in 88 boysKSArkansas: #27 for boys · 120 births · 1 in 122 boysARTennessee: #19 for boys · 344 births · 1 in 102 boysTNNorth Carolina: #13 for boys · 565 births · 1 in 89 boysNCSouth Carolina: #11 for boys · 239 births · 1 in 84 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #22 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 104 boysDCOklahoma: #27 for boys · 150 births · 1 in 137 boysOKLouisiana: #10 for boys · 290 births · 1 in 89 boysLAMississippi: #21 for boys · 140 births · 1 in 104 boysMSAlabama: #15 for boys · 246 births · 1 in 94 boysALGeorgia: #12 for boys · 590 births · 1 in 95 boysGAHawaii: #21 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 100 boysHITexas: #22 for boys · 1,310 births · 1 in 133 boysTXFlorida: #8 for boys · 1,150 births · 1 in 78 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Rhode Island#1 · 1 in 38
  2. Delaware#2 · 1 in 47
  3. Connecticut#3 · 1 in 45
  4. New Jersey#3 · 1 in 46
  5. Massachusetts#3 · 1 in 47

Best ever in a state: #1 in Maine, 1992.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Rhode Island#11381 in 38
Delaware#2881 in 47
Connecticut#33971 in 45
Massachusetts#37491 in 47
New Hampshire#31121 in 51
New Jersey#31,0441 in 46
New York#32,0571 in 54
Maine#41021 in 54
Pennsylvania#41,0401 in 61
Wisconsin#44221 in 68
Michigan#58261 in 68
Minnesota#54521 in 65
Ohio#59931 in 67
Illinois#61,0121 in 77
Vermont#6451 in 50
Kansas#71871 in 88
Florida#81,1501 in 78
Iowa#82111 in 77
Maryland#84141 in 68
Louisiana#102901 in 89
Indiana#114481 in 83
South Carolina#112391 in 84
Virginia#115241 in 77
Alaska#12381 in 84
Colorado#122951 in 102
Georgia#125901 in 95
Missouri#124041 in 82
Nevada#131411 in 91
North Carolina#135651 in 89
Alabama#152461 in 94
South Dakota#15461 in 86
Washington#153301 in 102
West Virginia#151251 in 71
Wyoming#15231 in 80
Kentucky#162981 in 78
Montana#17421 in 93
Tennessee#193441 in 102
California#202,2081 in 111
Nebraska#20981 in 105
Hawaii#21511 in 100
Mississippi#211401 in 104
District of Columbia#22451 in 104
Texas#221,3101 in 133
Arizona#243361 in 116
North Dakota#24321 in 105
New Mexico#25901 in 118
Arkansas#271201 in 122
Oklahoma#271501 in 137
Oregon#281631 in 118
Utah#281611 in 133
Idaho#34591 in 137

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Nicholas
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 5 spots since 2024 (#117 → #112)
  • 25 spots since 2020 (#87 → #112)
  • 50 spots since 2015 (#62 → #112)
  • Biggest jump: 33 spots in 1886 (#195 → #162)
  • Biggest drop: 34 spots in 1889 (#157 → #191)
Rise & fade · boys
119 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1999 at #5 (25,639 births)
  • Births halved by 2008, 9 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 10 yrs
  • Top 10: 10 yrs · run 1993–2002
  • Top 100: 51 yrs · run 1972–2022
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 65
  • Highest: 1 in 65 boys born in 1995 were named Nicholas (1.5%)
  • Latest: 1 in 548 boys born in 2025 (0.18%)
  • Its best rank, #5 in 1999, was only 1 in 75 (1.3%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1990s
  • 29.7% of all boys named Nicholas (275,329) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s730#157 (1888)#180
1890s857#156 (1896)#175
1900s1,334#113 (1908)#159
1910s10,233#102 (1914)#114
1920s13,608#114 (1921)#129
1930s9,716#145 (1931)#157
1940s15,503#136 (1949)#146
1950s22,614#120 (1951)#139
1960s22,339#118 (1968)#144
1970s65,068#15 (1979)#76
1980s223,308#14 (1989)#18
1990s275,329#5 (1999)#9
2000s177,609#6 (2000)#16
2010s66,811#37 (2010)#58
2020s20,988#87 (2020)#102

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Nicholas in 2002

girls
#3,461
39 births · 1 in 46,074 girls
boys
#9
21,390 births · 1 in 91 boys

Top girls' names in 2002

  1. #1Emily24,470
  2. #2Madison21,774
  3. #3Hannah18,828
  4. #4Emma16,558
  5. #5Alexis15,636
  6. #6Ashley15,344
  7. #7Abigail15,303
  8. #8Sarah14,779
  9. #9Samantha14,671
  10. #10Olivia14,631
  11. #3,461Nicholas39

Top boys' names in 2002

  1. #1Jacob30,586
  2. #2Michael28,258
  3. #3Joshua25,998
  4. #4Matthew25,154
  5. #5Ethan22,113
  6. #6Andrew22,037
  7. #7Joseph21,920
  8. #8Christopher21,689
  9. #9Nicholas21,390
  10. #10Daniel21,352
More about 2002

girls

1,796,882 girls got a published name in 2002; 1 in 46,074 of them was named Nicholas, which outranked 80.9% of the 18,086 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 9.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nicholas
  1. #3,394Tobi40
  2. #3,394Tylee40
  3. #3,394Vienna40
  4. #3,461Nicholas39
  5. #3,461Aaliyha39
  6. #3,461Adalia39
  7. #3,461Adelia39
  8. #3,523Addy38
  9. #3,523Alesandra38
  10. #3,523Analee38

Tied with 61 names at #3,461; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2001
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,168Cadence#2,126 → #958
  2. ↑ 949Lisbeth#1,573 → #624
  3. ↑ 710Ashanti#825 → #115
  4. ↑ 464Elle#1,076 → #612
  5. ↑ 412Nyla#865 → #453
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,141Citlalli#609 → #1,750
  2. ↓ 748Nallely#772 → #1,520
  3. ↓ 617Dafne#967 → #1,584
  4. ↓ 582Beyonce#700 → #1,282
  5. ↓ 540Mikaila#928 → #1,468

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,941,514 boys got a published name in 2002; 1 in 91 of them was named Nicholas, which outranked 99.9% of the 12,489 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 12.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nicholas
  1. #6Andrew22,037
  2. #7Joseph21,920
  3. #8Christopher21,689
  4. #9Nicholas21,390
  5. #10Daniel21,352
  6. #11William20,136
  7. #12Anthony19,590
Biggest movers since 2001
Risers
  1. ↑ 10,021Omarion#10,556 → #535
  2. ↑ 3,583Amarion#4,302 → #719
  3. ↑ 3,370Yahir#3,974 → #604
  4. ↑ 1,466Gael#2,185 → #719
  5. ↑ 1,287Lisandro#2,185 → #898
Fallers
  1. ↓ 546Daunte#968 → #1,514
  2. ↓ 405Imanol#921 → #1,326
  3. ↓ 376Shemar#594 → #970
  4. ↓ 347Jade#958 → #1,305
  5. ↓ 311Jalon#873 → #1,184

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 2002 →