Girls' name · since 1942
Nichole
Since 1942, U.S. Social Security records show 63,770 babies named Nichole, peaking in 1985. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #511 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,349 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 63,770
- born since 1942
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Nichole is the #3349 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 63,770 recorded since 1942.
Nichole has 63,770 recorded births among girls since 1942, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3349 as of the latest data, more common than 81% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #511 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,349 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 63,770 born since 1942
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nichole ranks #511 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,349 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 63,770 born since 1942, peaking in the 1980s.
- #511 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,349 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 63,770
- born since 1942
- 1980s
- peak decade
Nichole's 63,770 recorded births place it above 99.29% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nichole compares
63,770 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Nichole's all-time total is 170x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nichole | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 63,770 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,950 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nichole's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nichole splits its recorded history at 1986: 41% of all births land in the more recent half, 59% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1943 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1985 peak of 2,950 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nichole popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 2,950
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Nichole popularity over time - boys
184 total births recorded since 1972 (Nichole as boys' name)
Nichole by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (27,235 births, 43% of the file).
1980s was Nichole's strongest decade.
27,235 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Nichole births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 59
1940s
59 births
- 1950s 58
1950s
58 births
- 1960s 1,486
1960s
1,486 births
- 1970s
1970s
18,519 births
- 1980s
1980s
27,235 births
- 1990s
1990s
11,529 births
- 2000s 3,283
2000s
3,283 births
- 2010s 1,301
2010s
1,301 births
- 2020s 300
2020s
300 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 27,235 births (43% of all-time use).
How Nichole compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Nichole's total volume
Nichole by state
Where Nichole concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 7,234 | 11.3% |
| #2 | Michigan | | 3,984 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 3,946 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 3,704 | 5.8% |
| #5 | New York | | 3,488 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 3,076 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Texas | | 2,804 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Florida | | 2,618 | 4.1% |
7,234 of 63,770 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Nichole appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nichole? ▼
Where does Nichole sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nichole most popular? ▼
Where is Nichole most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nichole been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nichole? ▼
What to do with Nichole's data
- Nichole's decade-level peak was the 1980s (27,235 total births); usage has since declined to 300 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nicholes (7,234 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nichole
Nearby Names Like Nichole
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nichole
Compare Nichole side by side: Nichole vs Nicole Nichole vs Nicolette Nichole vs Nicki
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nichole
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nichole: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1985)
Similar record span (~83 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1942–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nichole draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.