US rank #1544 Boys' name Peak 1998 39,235 births

Nickolas — #1544 US boys' name

39,235 babies named Nickolas in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1998. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s301890s171900s661910s8231920s13021930s6851940s7681950s10031960s9101970s23801980s72371990s107292000s90122010s35342020s739
#1544
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 89% of names given to boys today.

1990s
Peak decade

27% of everyone ever named Nickolas was born in this single decade.

1998
Single peak year

1,156 babies were named Nickolas in 1998 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Nickolas

The Social Security Administration has registered 39,235 babies named Nickolas between 1882 and 2024, spanning 143 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Nickolas currently holds the #1544 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1998, when 1,156 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Nickolas performed strongest in the 1990s, accumulating 10,729 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Nickolas shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 4,517 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Nickolas in 50 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Nickolas in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 39,235 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Nickolas at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

39,235

Since 1882

143 years of records

Peak year

1998

1,156 births that year

Strongest decade: 1990s

Current rank

#1,544

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1882

Recorded for 143 years

Last year on file: 2024

Nickolas popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1882

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1998)
1,156
Annual births at peak — across 143 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420071990197319561939192219041882 7

Nickolas popularity over time — girls

47 total births recorded since 1980 (Nickolas as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 47 births
4.555.566.577.5 20041989198819871985198319811980 7

Nickolas by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1990s
Peak decade
1990s
10,729 births that decade — 27% of Nickolas's all-time total
1880s301890s171900s661910s8231920s13021930s6851940s7681950s10031960s9101970s23801980s72371990s107292000s90122010s35342020s739

Nickolas by state

Where Nickolas concentrates geographically — total births since 1882

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Nickolas
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
4,517 11.5%
#2 Texas
2,475 6.3%
#3 New York
2,364 6.0%
#4 Michigan
2,106 5.4%
#5 Illinois
1,934 4.9%
#6 Pennsylvania
1,923 4.9%
#7 Ohio
1,911 4.9%
#8 Florida
1,510 3.8%
California share of Nickolas's total US births 11.5%
Even split

4,517 of 39,235 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.

Nickolas appears in 50 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Nickolas?
39,235 babies have been named Nickolas since 1882. It currently ranks #1544 among boys. The peak year was 1998 with 1,156 births.
When was Nickolas most popular?
Nickolas was most popular in the 1990s decade with 10,729 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Nickolas most popular?
The top states for the name Nickolas are California (4,517 births), Texas (2,475 births), New York (2,364 births).
How long has the name Nickolas been used?
Nickolas has been recorded in Social Security data since 1882, spanning 143 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Nickolas?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nicholas, Nicolas, Nick, Nico, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Nickolas

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1882–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.