Boys' name · since 1960
Nikolai
Nikolai has 11,027 recorded births since 1960 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2016 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,138 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #605 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 11,027
- born since 1960
- 2010s
- peak decade
11,027 babies have been named Nikolai since 1960, making it today's #605 boys' name.
Nikolai has 11,027 recorded births among boys since 1960, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #605 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1960 to 2025.
- #1,138 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #605 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 11,027 born since 1960
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nikolai ranks #1,138 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #605 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 11,027 born since 1960, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,138 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #605 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 11,027
- born since 1960
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nikolai's 11,027 recorded births place it above 97.49% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nikolai compares
11,027 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Nikolai's all-time total is 30x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nikolai | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,027 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 639 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nikolai's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nikolai's full recorded timeline at 1994, 93% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 7% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1961, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2016 peak of 639 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nikolai popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1960–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 639
- Annual births at peak, across 66 years of records
Nikolai by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (5,060 births, 46% of the file).
2010s was Nikolai's strongest decade.
5,060 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Nikolai births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 52
1960s
52 births
- 1970s 202
1970s
202 births
- 1980s 291
1980s
291 births
- 1990s 733
1990s
733 births
- 2000s 1,632
2000s
1,632 births
- 2010s
2010s
5,060 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,057 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 5,060 births (46% of all-time use).
How Nikolai 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 Nikolai's total volume
Nikolai by state
Where Nikolai concentrates geographically, total births since 1960
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,669 | 15.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,025 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Florida | | 722 | 6.5% |
| #4 | New York | | 520 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 333 | 3.0% |
| #6 | Washington | | 303 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 296 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 290 | 2.6% |
1,669 of 11,027 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Nikolai appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nikolai? ▼
Where does Nikolai sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nikolai most popular? ▼
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What to do with Nikolai's data
- Nikolai's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (5,060 total births) through the 2020s (3,057) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Nikolais (1,669 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 Nikolai
Nearby Names Like Nikolai
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nikolai
Compare Nikolai side by side: Nikolai vs Nikolas Nikolai vs Niko Nikolai vs Nikhil
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nikolai
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nikolai: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2016)
Similar record span (~65 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, 1960–2025 (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 Nikolai 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.