Nikola

Did you know?

A few things about Nikola you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Nikola

Nikola Tesla

Serbian-American engineer and inventor (1856–1943)

Choose Nikola and your child shares a first name with Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American engineer and inventor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Nikola, like who?” Nikola Tesla's Wikipedia article is available in 219 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Nikola Tesla on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Napoleon Sarony, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 227,273 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Nikola, 7 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Nikola would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryNikola first shows up in US birth records in 1948, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 77 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1972, when it ranked #3,177. Today it's #11,932, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendNikola has slipped 842 places over the last five years and now sits at #11,932. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningNikola is a Slavic form of Nicholas, which means “victory of the people”. Our records link it to French and Italian roots.

About the name Nikola

Nikola is a girl name of French and Italian origin meaning “victory of the people”. It has 6 letters and 3 syllables, starting with N and ending in “-ola”. US birth records list Nikola for girls from 1948 to 2025, in 61 of those 78 years. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked #3,177 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #11,932, with 7 babies.

Origin:French namesItalian names