Nikolai

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Nikolai

Nikolai Kinski

French-American actor

Choose Nikolai and your child shares a first name with Nikolai Kinski, a French-American actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Nikolai, like who?” Nikolai Kinski's Wikipedia article is available in 20 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Nikolai Kinski on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Siebbi, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,642 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Nikolai, 469 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Nikolai would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryNikolai first shows up in US birth records in 1960, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 65 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2018, when it reached #473.
• 📈Then vs nowNikolai is 6.7× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 24,570 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 3,642.
• 🍂TrendNikolai has slipped 60 places over the last five years and now sits at #605. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedNikolai is most popular in New Mexico, where it ranks #236, followed by Nebraska (#335) and Connecticut (#382). It's in the top 1,000 in 26 states.
• 💬MeaningNikolai is a Russian form of Nicholas, which means “victory of the people”.

About the name Nikolai

Nikolai is a boy name meaning “victory of the people”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with N and ending in “-lai”. US birth records list Nikolai for boys from 1960 to 2025, in 63 of those 66 years. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked #473 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #605, with 469 babies.