Nikolaus

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Nikolaus

Nikolaus Lenau

Austrian poet (1802-1850)

Choose Nikolaus and your child shares a first name with Nikolaus Lenau, an Austrian poet. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Nikolaus, like who?” Nikolaus Lenau's Wikipedia article is available in 50 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Nikolaus Lenau on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Friedrich von Amerling, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 70,922 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Nikolaus, 24 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Nikolaus would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryNikolaus first shows up in US birth records in 1955, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 70 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1980, when it ranked #1,079. Today it's #4,249, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowNikolaus was 2.6× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 27,248 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 70,922.
• 🚀TrendNikolaus has climbed 291 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #4,249. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningNikolaus is a German form of Nicholas, which means “victory of the people”. Our records link it to German and Greek roots.

About the name Nikolaus

Nikolaus is a boy name of German and Greek origin meaning “victory of the people”. It has 8 letters and 3 syllables, starting with N and ending in “-aus”. US birth records list Nikolaus for boys from 1955 to 2025, in 60 of those 71 years. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked #1,079 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #4,249, with 24 babies.

Origin:German namesGreek names