Boys' name · since 1882
Nickolas
Nickolas has 39,356 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1998 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #580 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,492 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 39,356
- born since 1882
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Nickolas is the #1492 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 39,356 recorded since 1882.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nickolas has been recorded 39,356 times among boys since 1882, currently ranked #1492 nationally and more common than 89% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #580 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,492 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 39,356 born since 1882
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nickolas ranks #580 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,492 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 39,356 born since 1882, peaking in the 1990s.
- #580 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,492 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 39,356
- born since 1882
- 1990s
- peak decade
Nickolas's 39,356 recorded births place it above 98.72% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nickolas compares
39,356 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Nickolas's all-time total is 107x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nickolas | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 39,356 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,156 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nickolas's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nickolas's full recorded timeline at 1960, 88% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 12% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 1,156 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nickolas popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 1,156
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Nickolas popularity over time - girls
47 total births recorded since 1980 (Nickolas as girls' name)
Nickolas by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (10,729 births, 27% of the file).
1990s was Nickolas's strongest decade.
10,729 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Nickolas births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 30
1880s
30 births
- 1890s 17
1890s
17 births
- 1900s 66
1900s
66 births
- 1910s 823
1910s
823 births
- 1920s 1,302
1920s
1,302 births
- 1930s 685
1930s
685 births
- 1940s 768
1940s
768 births
- 1950s 1,003
1950s
1,003 births
- 1960s 910
1960s
910 births
- 1970s 2,380
1970s
2,380 births
- 1980s
1980s
7,237 births
- 1990s
1990s
10,729 births
- 2000s
2000s
9,012 births
- 2010s 3,536
2010s
3,536 births
- 2020s 858
2020s
858 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 10,729 births (27% of all-time use).
How Nickolas compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Nickolas's total volume
Nickolas by state
Where Nickolas concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,537 | 11.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,491 | 6.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 2,375 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 2,106 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,934 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 1,930 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,911 | 4.9% |
| #8 | Florida | | 1,522 | 3.9% |
4,537 of 39,356 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? ▼
Where does Nickolas sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nickolas most popular? ▼
Where is Nickolas most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nickolas been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nickolas? ▼
What to do with Nickolas's data
- Nickolas's decade-level peak was the 1990s (10,729 total births); usage has since declined to 858 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nickolass (4,537 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 Nickolas
Nearby Names Like Nickolas
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nickolas
Compare Nickolas side by side: Nickolas vs Nicholas Nickolas vs Nicolas Nickolas vs Nick
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nickolas
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nickolas: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1882–2025 (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 Nickolas 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.