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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020202009peak #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 2009

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #37 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 134 boysAKMaine: #39 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 129 boysMEVermont: #38 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 120 boysVTNew Hampshire: #29 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 98 boysNHWashington: #57 for boys · 157 births · 1 in 235 boysWAIdaho: #82 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 283 boysIDMontana: #64 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 200 boysMTNorth Dakota: #50 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 158 boysNDMinnesota: #52 for boys · 154 births · 1 in 190 boysMNIllinois: #25 for boys · 494 births · 1 in 147 boysILWisconsin: #55 for boys · 144 births · 1 in 199 boysWIMichigan: #40 for boys · 312 births · 1 in 158 boysMINew York: #15 for boys · 1,093 births · 1 in 99 boysNYMassachusetts: #15 for boys · 346 births · 1 in 90 boysMARhode Island: #30 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 101 boysRIOregon: #66 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 241 boysORNevada: #47 for boys · 74 births · 1 in 194 boysNVWyoming: #51 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 172 boysWYSouth Dakota: #115 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 343 boysSDIowa: #74 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 273 boysIAIndiana: #43 for boys · 208 births · 1 in 180 boysINOhio: #37 for boys · 400 births · 1 in 157 boysOHPennsylvania: #20 for boys · 578 births · 1 in 107 boysPANew Jersey: #10 for boys · 525 births · 1 in 85 boysNJConnecticut: #11 for boys · 186 births · 1 in 82 boysCTCalifornia: #43 for boys · 1,257 births · 1 in 193 boysCAUtah: #120 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 442 boysUTColorado: #47 for boys · 145 births · 1 in 198 boysCONebraska: #58 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 207 boysNEMissouri: #49 for boys · 180 births · 1 in 186 boysMOKentucky: #54 for boys · 115 births · 1 in 204 boysKYWest Virginia: #37 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 145 boysWVVirginia: #33 for boys · 276 births · 1 in 153 boysVAMaryland: #27 for boys · 229 births · 1 in 126 boysMDDelaware: #22 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 86 boysDEArizona: #36 for boys · 233 births · 1 in 171 boysAZNew Mexico: #53 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 196 boysNMKansas: #62 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 220 boysKSArkansas: #66 for boys · 63 births · 1 in 238 boysARTennessee: #53 for boys · 175 births · 1 in 208 boysTNNorth Carolina: #34 for boys · 325 births · 1 in 166 boysNCSouth Carolina: #41 for boys · 128 births · 1 in 170 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #13 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 94 boysDCOklahoma: #64 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 262 boysOKLouisiana: #36 for boys · 142 births · 1 in 176 boysLAMississippi: #45 for boys · 75 births · 1 in 199 boysMSAlabama: #52 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 208 boysALGeorgia: #44 for boys · 288 births · 1 in 205 boysGAHawaii: #34 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 149 boysHITexas: #49 for boys · 825 births · 1 in 226 boysTXFlorida: #20 for boys · 711 births · 1 in 134 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. New Jersey#10 · 1 in 85
  2. Connecticut#11 · 1 in 82
  3. District of Columbia#13 · 1 in 94
  4. Massachusetts#15 · 1 in 90
  5. New York#15 · 1 in 99

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
New Jersey#105251 in 85
Connecticut#111861 in 82
District of Columbia#13451 in 94
Massachusetts#153461 in 90
New York#151,0931 in 99
Florida#207111 in 134
Pennsylvania#205781 in 107
Delaware#22441 in 86
Illinois#254941 in 147
Maryland#272291 in 126
New Hampshire#29521 in 98
Rhode Island#30421 in 101
Virginia#332761 in 153
Hawaii#34311 in 149
North Carolina#343251 in 166
Arizona#362331 in 171
Louisiana#361421 in 176
Alaska#37261 in 134
Ohio#374001 in 157
West Virginia#37591 in 145
Vermont#38161 in 120
Maine#39391 in 129
Michigan#403121 in 158
South Carolina#411281 in 170
California#431,2571 in 193
Indiana#432081 in 180
Georgia#442881 in 205
Mississippi#45751 in 199
Colorado#471451 in 198
Nevada#47741 in 194
Missouri#491801 in 186
Texas#498251 in 226
North Dakota#50211 in 158
Wyoming#51121 in 172
Alabama#521161 in 208
Minnesota#521541 in 190
New Mexico#53541 in 196
Tennessee#531751 in 208
Kentucky#541151 in 204
Wisconsin#551441 in 199
Washington#571571 in 235
Nebraska#58501 in 207
Kansas#62761 in 220
Montana#64201 in 200
Oklahoma#64821 in 262
Arkansas#66631 in 238
Oregon#66801 in 241
Iowa#74581 in 273
Idaho#82311 in 283
South Dakota#115121 in 343
Utah#120521 in 442

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 2009

girls
#7,066
18 births · 1 in 102,062 girls
boys
#32
10,856 births · 1 in 183 boys

Top girls' names in 2009

  1. #1Isabella22,321
  2. #2Emma17,910
  3. #3Olivia17,444
  4. #4Sophia16,951
  5. #5Ava15,877
  6. #6Emily15,366
  7. #7Madison15,257
  8. #8Abigail14,401
  9. #9Chloe11,922
  10. #10Mia11,438
  11. #7,066Nicholas18

Top boys' names in 2009

  1. #1Jacob21,204
  2. #2Ethan19,858
  3. #3Michael18,964
  4. #4Alexander18,254
  5. #5William17,937
  6. #6Joshua17,671
  7. #7Daniel17,564
  8. #8Jayden17,316
  9. #9Noah17,262
  10. #10Christopher16,368
  11. #32Nicholas10,856
More about 2009

girls

1,837,114 girls got a published name in 2009; 1 in 102,062 of them was named Nicholas, which outranked 65.0% of the 20,199 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nicholas
  1. #6,811Zissy19
  2. #6,811Ziyana19
  3. #6,811Zyah19
  4. #7,066Nicholas18
  5. #7,066Aadhya18
  6. #7,066Abagale18
  7. #7,066Abiageal18
  8. #7,341Abeni17
  9. #7,341Aby17
  10. #7,341Adelai17

Tied with 274 names at #7,066; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2008
Risers
  1. ↑ 4,137Taraji#5,013 → #876
  2. ↑ 2,107Bristol#2,773 → #666
  3. ↑ 836Analia#1,167 → #331
  4. ↑ 773Harlow#1,677 → #904
  5. ↑ 610Maliah#1,405 → #795
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,450Dayami#754 → #2,204
  2. ↓ 953Mareli#723 → #1,676
  3. ↓ 773Mylie#839 → #1,612
  4. ↓ 517Marely#334 → #851
  5. ↓ 515Hillary#722 → #1,237

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

boys

1,983,573 boys got a published name in 2009; 1 in 183 of them was named Nicholas, which outranked 99.8% of the 14,540 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 9.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nicholas
  1. #29Jonathan11,386
  2. #30Dylan11,373
  3. #31Caleb11,001
  4. #32Nicholas10,856
  5. #33Gavin10,742
  6. #34Mason10,696
  7. #35Evan10,280
Biggest movers since 2008
Risers
  1. ↑ 951Knox#1,655 → #704
  2. ↑ 510Kellan#1,133 → #623
  3. ↑ 462Jaxen#1,329 → #867
  4. ↑ 422Bentley#936 → #514
  5. ↑ 354Archer#1,037 → #683
Fallers
  1. ↓ 493Yurem#995 → #1,488
  2. ↓ 222Cordell#786 → #1,008
  3. ↓ 212Shamar#926 → #1,138
  4. ↓ 201Trevin#797 → #998
  5. ↓ 198Glenn#865 → #1,063

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

See the top 100 for 2009 →