UK boy's name
Nicolaas
Derived from Greek, meaning "victorious people" or "victory of the people".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2015. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Nicolaas is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Nicolaas popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2015 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4747, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 5 births.
This profile covers 8 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2006 to 2015. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 8 living people in the UK are called Nicolaas. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2016 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Nicolaas ranked #4747 for boys in England and Wales in 2015, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 5 boys were registered as Nicolaas.
- • About 8 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nicolaas as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4747
2015
Births in 2015
3
Latest year
Peak year
2006
5 births
Estimated living
8
2026
Meaning
What does Nicolaas mean?
Nicolaas is a Dutch given name derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which was formed from the words "nikē" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people." The name was popular among early Christians and can be traced back to the 3rd century AD.
The name gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, with various spellings such as Nicolaus, Nicolas, and Nicolaas. It was particularly common in the Netherlands, where it became a popular Dutch variant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nicolaas can be found in the 4th century AD, referring to Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Christian saint and Greek bishop known for his generosity and kindness towards children. His feast day on December 6th became a significant celebration, contributing to the widespread use of the name Nicolaas across Christian communities.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nicolaas. One of the most famous was Nicolaas Copernicus (1473-1543), a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model of the solar system, placing the Sun at the center.
Another prominent figure was Nicolaas Bloemaert (1590-1658), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his religious and mythological works, as well as his portraits and landscapes.
In the realm of science, Nicolaas Steno (1638-1686) was a Danish pioneer in both anatomy and geology, making significant contributions to the study of fossils and the principles of stratigraphy.
The Dutch Golden Age produced several notable individuals with the name Nicolaas, including Nicolaas Elenbaas (1637-1676), a renowned landscape painter, and Nicolaas Hartsoeker (1656-1725), a scientist and inventor who made advancements in microscopy and optics.
More recently, Nicolaas Bloembergen (1920-2017) was a Dutch-American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981 for his contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nicolaas over time
The chart below shows babies named Nicolaas registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 to 2015. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Nicolaas, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2015, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nicolaas by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nicolaas was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4747 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #2870 | 5 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Nicolaas
- Noah 72,596
- Nathan 46,860
- Nicholas 15,983
- Nathaniel 12,151
- Niall 5,746
- Nicolas 3,825
- Nico 3,532
- Nate 2,029
- Nikodem 1,872
- Noel 1,865
- Ned 1,614
- Neo 1,563
FAQ
Nicolaas: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nicolaas in the UK right now?
In 2015, Nicolaas was ranked #4747 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Nicolaas most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 5 babies registered as Nicolaas in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nicolaas?
Derived from Greek, meaning "victorious people" or "victory of the people".
How many people are called Nicolaas in the UK?
A total of 8 babies have been registered as Nicolaas across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.