Nicolai
Boy name · Greek · Russian · Scandinavian
Meaningvictory of the people · Russian form of Nicholas
- US rank
- #2,572
- Syllables
- 3
- Peak
- #1,870 in 2015
51 babies were named Nicolai in the US in 2025. It has dropped 26 places in five years.
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 1962–2025
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Nicolai you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Nicolai
Nicolai Hartmann
German philosopher (1882–1950)
Choose Nicolai and your child shares a first name with Nicolai Hartmann, a German philosopher. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Nicolai, like who?” Nicolai Hartmann's Wikipedia article is available in 36 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Nicolai Hartmann on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Navywalrus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 33,445 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Nicolai, 51 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Nicolai would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryNicolai first shows up in US birth records in 1962, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 63 years since.
- Best yearIts best year was 2015, when it reached #1,870.
- TrendNicolai has slipped 26 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,572. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- MeaningNicolai is a Russian form of Nicholas, which means “victory of the people”. Our records link it to Greek, Russian and Scandinavian roots.
About the name Nicolai
Nicolai is a boy name of Greek, Russian and Scandinavian origin meaning “victory of the people”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with N and ending in “-lai”. US birth records list Nicolai for boys from 1962 to 2025, in 54 of those 64 years. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked #1,870 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #2,572, with 51 babies.
Origin:Greek namesRussian namesScandinavian names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8 | 1,269,841 boys |
| 1970s | 3.0 | 333,333 boys |
| 1980s | 6.7 | 149,031 boys |
| 1990s | 15 | 68,493 boys |
| 2000s | 23 | 43,290 boys |
| 2010s | 32 | 31,008 boys |
| 2020s | 31 | 31,780 boys |
Other spellings of Nicolai
More Greek boy names
- Boy name: Theodore · gift of God
- Boy name: Mateo · gift of God
- Boy name: Lucas · man from Lucania
- Unisex name: Elias · my God is Yahweh
- Boy name: Sebastian · venerable
- Boy name: Leo · lion
- Boy name: Thomas · twin
- Unisex name: Miles · possibly gracious
Questions about the name Nicolai
What does the name Nicolai mean?
Nicolai means “victory of the people” in Russian, as a form of Nicholas.
What is the origin of the name Nicolai?
Nicolai has Greek, Russian, Scandinavian roots in our records. Other Greek names include Theodore, Mateo, Lucas.
Is Nicolai a boy or girl name?
Nicolai is a boy name.
How popular is the name Nicolai?
Nicolai ranked #2,572 for US boys in 2025, given to 51 babies. Its best year was 2015 (#1,870).