UK boy's name
Nikolaos
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the 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.
Nikolaos is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Nikolaos popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1859, with 13 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 22 births.
This profile covers 261 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 59% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 273 living people in the UK are called Nikolaos. 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
- • Nikolaos ranked #1859 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 13 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 22 boys were registered as Nikolaos.
- • Nikolaos ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
- • About 273 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nikolaos as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1859
2024
Births in 2024
13
Latest year
Peak year
2022
22 births
Estimated living
273
2026
Meaning
What does Nikolaos mean?
Nikolaos is a masculine given name of Greek origin, derived from the words "nikos" meaning "victory" and "laos" meaning "people." The name can be translated as "victor of the people" or "victorious among the people."
The name has its roots in ancient Greek culture and can be traced back to the 5th century BC. It was a popular name among the ancient Greeks and was often associated with military prowess and leadership qualities.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Thucydides, who mentions a Nikolaos of Syracuse in his work "The Peloponnesian War." The name also appears in various ancient Greek inscriptions and texts.
In the Christian tradition, the name gained significance due to its association with Saint Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra (in present-day Turkey) and the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas was known for his generosity and kindness, particularly towards children.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nikolaos, including:
1. Nikolaos of Damascus (c. 64 BC - c. 4 BC), a Greek philosopher, historian, and tutor to the Roman emperor Augustus. 2. Nikolaos Mouzalon (c. 1265 - c. 1315), a Byzantine scholar and philosopher who served as the chief minister to the Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. 3. Nikolaos Kabasilas (c. 1322 - c. 1392), a Byzantine theologian and mystic who wrote extensively on the liturgy and sacraments of the Eastern Orthodox Church. 4. Nikolaos Mavrokordatos (1670 - 1730), a Greek scholar, diplomat, and Prince of Wallachia (a historical region in present-day Romania). 5. Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos (1851 - 1927), a Greek military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from 1916 to 1917.
The name Nikolaos continues to be popular in various forms across different cultures and languages, such as Nicholas in English, Nicolás in Spanish, and Nicola in Italian, reflecting the widespread influence of Greek culture and the enduring appeal of this historic name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nikolaos over time
The chart below shows babies named Nikolaos registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Nikolaos, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 13 births in 2024, compared with 22 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nikolaos by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nikolaos 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 | #1736 | 72 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2087 | 112 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2423 | 56 | 9 |
| 1990s | #1622 | 21 | 3 |
Geography
Where Nikolaos is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Nikolaos. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Nikolaos ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
Across the UK
Nikolaos in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
4 years of NRS records, 14 total registered
Related
Names similar to Nikolaos
- 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
Nikolaos: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nikolaos in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nikolaos was ranked #1859 for boys in England and Wales, with 13 births registered.
When was Nikolaos most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 22 babies registered as Nikolaos in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nikolaos?
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "victory of the people".
How many people are called Nikolaos in the UK?
A total of 261 babies have been registered as Nikolaos across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 14 more in Scotland.
Where is Nikolaos most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Nikolaos ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #727 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.