Nicolai

Nicolai - A very unique male name

Nicolai appeared on the charts for the first time in 1984 on position #2500. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Nicolai and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Nicolai? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Nicolai. The baby boy name Nicolai was given to 25 baby boys in 2025, ranking #2246 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 58,651 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Nicolai peaked in popularity 11 years ago in 2015 on position 1867.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Nicolai, 1-5?

Nicolai is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Nicolai is currently topping the baby name charts in Ohio at position #1,213 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,478.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Nicolai is where you live.

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Nicolai origin and meaning

Greek, via Slavic and Scandinavian forms

Form of Nicholas, from Greek Nikolaos — nike, 'victory', and laos, 'people'

Nicolai is a form of Nicholas used in Russian, Bulgarian and Scandinavian naming (also spelled Nikolai or Nikolaj). It gives the classic name a distinctly international profile in the United States.

Attested etymology

Nicolai is a 7 letter name with 3 syllables.

To see famous people named Nicolai, pop culture references for the name Nicolai and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Nicolai

We've found the following names that sound similar to Nicolai, sorted by popularity.

Nigel / Nikolai / Nikhil / Nikola / Nicola / Nicole / Nicolo / Niccolo / Nicholai / Nikolay /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Nicolai

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Nicolai a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Nicolai?

3 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

NIK-oh-ly · /ˈnɪkəlaɪ/

Around the world

• Nikolai (Russian) — The Russian form
• Nicolas (French) — The French form
• Nicola (Italian) — The Italian form

Spellings and nicknames

• Nikolai — The more common transliteration
• Nikolaj — Scandinavian spelling
• Nicholas — The English form — a different established name

Nicknames: NicoNick

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

InternationalClassic

Why parents choose it

Nicolai is Nicholas with its passport showing — classic at the root, cosmopolitan in this form.

Worth knowing

• Frequently respelled Nikolai by others