UK boy's name
Nicolae
A masculine name derived from Greek meaning "victorious people".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Nicolae is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Nicolae popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3254, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 17 births.
This profile covers 116 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 2010 to 2024. 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 35% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 115 living people in the UK are called Nicolae. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Nicolae ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2020, when 17 boys were registered as Nicolae.
- • About 115 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nicolae as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3254
2024
Births in 2024
6
Latest year
Peak year
2020
17 births
Estimated living
115
2026
Meaning
What does Nicolae mean?
Nicolae is a masculine given name derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which is a compound of the words "niko" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people". It is the Romanian form of the name Nicholas, and has been a popular name in Romania and other Eastern European countries for centuries.
The name can be traced back to the 3rd century AD, when Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children and sailors, lived in Myra, a city in modern-day Turkey. The name gained widespread popularity in the Christian world due to the veneration of Saint Nicholas, and it became a common name in many cultures influenced by Christianity.
In the Byzantine Empire, the name was used by several emperors, including Nicolae I Caulchinas (876-912) and Nicolae II Opheliates (912-925). During the Middle Ages, the name was also popular among the nobility in various Eastern European countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nicolae in Romania dates back to the 14th century, when Nicolae Alexandru, the son of the Voivode of Wallachia, was mentioned in historical documents. In the 15th century, Nicolae Redwitz, a Romanian nobleman, served as the Chancellor of Moldavia.
Over the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Nicolae. Here are five examples:
1. Nicolae Iorga (1871-1940), a Romanian historian, playwright, and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from 1931 to 1932.
2. Nicolae Ceaușescu (1918-1989), the former Communist leader of Romania who ruled the country with an iron fist from 1965 to 1989.
3. Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907), a Romanian painter and one of the founders of modern Romanian art.
4. Nicolae Paulescu (1869-1931), a Romanian physiologist and the discoverer of insulin, though his work was overshadowed by the more famous discoveries of Frederick Banting and Charles Best.
5. Nicolae Titulescu (1882-1941), a Romanian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and represented Romania at the League of Nations.
The name Nicolae has remained a popular choice in Romania and other Eastern European countries, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and historical significance.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nicolae over time
The chart below shows babies named Nicolae registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2010 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Nicolae, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 17 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nicolae by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nicolae 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2522 | 46 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2785 | 70 | 9 |
Related
Names similar to Nicolae
- 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
Nicolae: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nicolae in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nicolae was ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Nicolae most popular?
The peak year on record was 2020, with 17 babies registered as Nicolae in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nicolae?
A masculine name derived from Greek meaning "victorious people".
How many people are called Nicolae in the UK?
A total of 116 babies have been registered as Nicolae across the 14 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.