Nikolai is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nikolai means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nikolai across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nikolai has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nikolai is a boy name of Greek origin meaning “victory of the people”. A Russian form of Nicholas.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 11,027 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 489 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 8 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 17 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Nikolai per year, United States (1960 to 2025). United States peaked in 2016 (639/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2019 (33/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2004 (4/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2000 (4/yr).
Nikolai has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2016, when it ranked #965 nationally (given to 667 babies that year).
Nicole · Nicola · Nicolle · Nikole · Nicol · Nickole · Nikola · Nikol
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