boy's name
Niko
NEE-koh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 17,748
the United States
#325
2025 births
Niko is a boy's name of Greek origin, a short form of Nikolaos meaning "victory of the people". It joins nike, victory, to laos, the people, and serves as the everyday form of Nicholas across Finland, Croatia, Greece and Germany.
- Niko is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 1,212 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,113 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1962.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Niko over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 45 |
| 1970s | 211 |
| 1980s | 334 |
| 1990s | 1,548 |
| 2000s | 1,997 |
| 2010s | 4,574 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,426 |
What Niko means
Niko carries the meaning of the full name behind it: victory of the people. The compound is transparent in Greek — nike is the word for victory and the goddess who personified it, and laos is the people or the host.
Where Niko comes from
Niko shortens Nikolaos, from the Greek nike, victory, and laos, the people. The full name's fame rests on Saint Nicholas of Myra, the fourth-century bishop whose reputation for secret gift-giving produced Santa Claus by way of the Dutch Sinterklaas. Nikolaos spread through the Orthodox and Catholic worlds alike, giving Nikolai, Niccolò, Nicolas and Klaus, and the short form Niko is standard in Finland, Croatia, Slovenia and Greece. Nike, the goddess, also names the sportswear company, which took her name for the same reason the Greeks did.
Niko in use
Niko charts in six of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2022.
How popular is Niko?
In 2025, Niko was given to 1,065 babies in the United States, ranking #325 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Niko 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 Niko
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Niko also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Niko over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Niko 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 Niko
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Niko — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Niko
What does the name Niko mean?
Victory of the people, from the Greek nike, victory, and laos, the people.
Is Niko short for Nicholas?
Yes. It is the standard short form of Nikolaos and its descendants across Finland, Croatia, Greece and Germany.
What is the difference between Niko and Nico?
Only the spelling. Niko is the usual form in Finnish, Croatian and Greek use; Nico is more common in Italian and Spanish.
How popular is the name Niko?
In 2025, Niko was given to 1,065 babies in the United States, ranking #325 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Niko a girl's or a boy's name?
Niko is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Niko?
Niko has 2 syllables.
When was Niko most popular?
Niko peaked in 2022, when 1,212 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Niko a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Niko currently ranks #325 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.