A reliable meaning for Nickolai isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1976. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nickolai through the years
Babies since 1880
533
533 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
2015
31 babies
2025
10
#8,059 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−38%
Cooling
Nickolai in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1976–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,059 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 38.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 31 in 2015. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 540 as a first name in 2020; 145 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nickolai’s family of names
In German usage, Nickolai as a surname has a related form in Nikolai.