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.
More common than 89% of names given to boys today.
27% of everyone ever named Nickolas was born in this single decade.
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 1,000Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Nickolas popularity over time — boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1882
- Peak year (1998)
- 1,156
- Annual births at peak — across 143 years of records
Currently ranks #1544 among boys.
39,235 total births across 143 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1998 with 1,156 births in a single year.
Nickolas popularity over time — girls
47 total births recorded since 1980 (Nickolas as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Nickolas accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Nickolas by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1990s
- 10,729 births that decade — 27% of Nickolas's all-time total
Nickolas decade highlights
- Peak decade 10,729 births
- Runner-up 9,012 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1990s was Nickolas's strongest decade
10,729 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 27% of all-time use.
Nickolas by state
Where Nickolas concentrates geographically — total births since 1882
| 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% |
4,517 of 39,235 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 11.5% of nationwide
- Texas 6.3% of nationwide
- New York 6.0% of nationwide
- Michigan 5.4% of nationwide
- Illinois 4.9% of nationwide
Recorded in 50 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 11.5% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Nickolas appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.