girl's name
Nicole
ni-KOHL
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 948,107
the United States
#382
2025 births
Nicole is a girl's name, the French feminine of Nicholas, meaning victory of the people. It charts in all seven markets we track and its positions are unusually close together, from 382nd in the United States to 659th in Scotland.
- Nicole is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1985, when 23,043 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,129 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1937.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Nicole over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1930s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 28 |
| 1940s | 616 |
| 1950s | 1,314 |
| 1960s | 18,643 |
| 1970s | 145,304 |
| 1980s | 211,316 |
| 1990s | 136,383 |
| 2000s | 54,714 |
| 2010s | 22,324 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,823 |
What Nicole means
Nicole means victory of the people. The Greek original joins a word for victory to one for the people, so the sense is a triumph belonging to everyone rather than to an individual.
Where Nicole comes from
Nicole is the French feminine of Nicolas, from the Greek Nikolaos — nike, victory, joined to laos, the people. The masculine belongs to Saint Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra whose reputation for secret gift-giving became Sinterklaas and then Santa Claus, so the name sits behind one of the most widely recognized figures in the world. The French feminine is medieval and was in use long before English borrowed it; English-speaking countries took it up in the mid twentieth century, which is why its curve peaks so much later than the masculine's.
Nicole in use
Nicole peaked in the United States in 1985, when 23,043 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in all seven markets with unusually little spread between them — 341st in Canada, 382nd in the United States on 803 births, 391st in Ireland, 412th in England and Wales, 421st in Northern Ireland, 659th in Scotland and 837th in France. Five of those six sit within forty places of each other, which is rare and suggests a name adopted at much the same time across the English-speaking world.
How popular is Nicole?
In 2025, Nicole was given to 803 babies in the United States, ranking #382 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Nicole is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Nicole
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Nicole also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nicole over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Nicole
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Nicole in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Nicole
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Nicole — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Nicole
What does the name Nicole mean?
Victory of the people — the Greek nike, victory, joined to laos, the people.
Is Nicole the feminine of Nicholas?
Yes, by way of the French Nicolas. The feminine is medieval French and predates English use by centuries.
Is Nicole related to Santa Claus?
Through the name, yes. Saint Nicholas of Myra became Sinterklaas and then Santa Claus.
How popular is Nicole?
382nd in the United States. It charts in all six markets we track, with unusually little variation between them.
Is Nicole a girl's or a boy's name?
Nicole is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nicole?
Nicole has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Nicole?
Nicole is usually shortened to Nikki and Nic.
Is Nicole a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nicole currently ranks #341 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.