Girls' name · since 1937
Nicole
Nicole has 594,500 recorded births since 1937 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1985 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #46 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #382 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 594,500
- born since 1937
- 1980s
- peak decade
Nicole currently ranks #382 among girls' names in America, with 594,500 babies recorded since 1937.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nicole has been recorded 594,500 times among girls since 1937, currently ranked #382 nationally and more common than 98% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1937 to 2025.
- #46 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #382 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 594,500 born since 1937
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nicole ranks #46 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #382 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 594,500 born since 1937, peaking in the 1980s.
- #46 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #382 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 594,500
- born since 1937
- 1980s
- peak decade
Nicole's 594,500 recorded births place it above 99.93% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nicole compares
594,500 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Nicole's all-time total is 1,581x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nicole | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 594,500 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 22,966 | 21 | 19,840 |
Nicole's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nicole splits its recorded history at 1981: 69% of all births land in the more recent half, 31% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1938 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1985 peak of 22,966 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nicole popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1937–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 22,966
- Annual births at peak, across 89 years of records
Nicole popularity over time - boys
1,965 total births recorded since 1961 (Nicole as boys' name)
Nicole by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (210,494 births, 35% of the file).
1980s was Nicole's strongest decade.
210,494 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Nicole births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 28
1930s
28 births
- 1940s 616
1940s
616 births
- 1950s 1,314
1950s
1,314 births
- 1960s 18,564
1960s
18,564 births
- 1970s
1970s
144,667 births
- 1980s
1980s
210,494 births
- 1990s
1990s
136,103 births
- 2000s 54,585
2000s
54,585 births
- 2010s 22,306
2010s
22,306 births
- 2020s 5,823
2020s
5,823 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 210,494 births (35% of all-time use).
How Nicole 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 Nicole's total volume
Nicole by state
Where Nicole concentrates geographically, total births since 1937
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 75,577 | 12.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 63,593 | 10.7% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 36,465 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 34,565 | 5.8% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 28,591 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 28,237 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Florida | | 27,903 | 4.7% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 27,377 | 4.6% |
75,577 of 594,500 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Nicole appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nicole? ▼
Where does Nicole sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nicole most popular? ▼
Where is Nicole most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nicole been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nicole? ▼
What to do with Nicole's data
- Nicole's decade-level peak was the 1980s (210,494 total births); usage has since declined to 5,823 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nicoles (75,577 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 Nicole
Nearby Names Like Nicole
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nicole
Compare Nicole side by side: Nicole vs Nichole Nicole vs Nicolette Nicole vs Nicki
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nicole
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nicole: 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 (~88 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, 1937–2025 (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 Nicole 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.