boy's name
Nikolai
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 12,588
the United States
#605
2025 births
Nikolai is a boy's name with 3 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 469 babies in the United States, ranking #605. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
- Peaked in 2016, when 639 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 7,069 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1960.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Nikolai 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 | 52 |
| 1970s | 202 |
| 1980s | 291 |
| 1990s | 733 |
| 2000s | 1,632 |
| 2010s | 5,060 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,057 |
How popular is Nikolai?
In 2025, Nikolai was given to 469 babies in the United States, ranking #605 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Nikolai 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.
How Nikolai is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Nikolaï | Nikolaï is a rare spelling of Nikolai, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 70 times, mostly in France. | 70 |
Names that peaked alongside Nikolai
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Nikolai also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nikolai over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Nikolai 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 Nikolai
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Nikolai — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Nikolai
How popular is the name Nikolai?
In 2025, Nikolai was given to 469 babies in the United States, ranking #605 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Nikolai a girl's or a boy's name?
Nikolai is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nikolai?
Nikolai has 3 syllables.
When was Nikolai most popular?
Nikolai peaked in 2016, when 639 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Nikolai a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nikolai currently ranks #605 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.