Given name & surname
Nicol
“of the victorious people”
Nicol preserves a medieval form of Nicholas, particularly associated with Scotland.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nicol is a variant of Nicholas. One Greek interpretation is “of the victorious people.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Nicol is a variant of Nicholas. An origin associated with Nicholas is Dutch.
Explained through its name family
The story
Walter Scott used Nicol for Bailie Nicol Jarvie in Rob Roy. The character provides a literary link with a form of Nicholas that remained in Scottish use after its medieval beginnings.
Nicol through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,248
- 28 boys · 2,220 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 130 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #7,052 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +48%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,052 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 47.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 125 in 1970. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,775 as a first name in 2020; 4,910 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.
Nicol’s family of names
Nicol shares a linguistic root with Nicholas. In German usage, Nicol has a related form in Nicole. Nicol has a related form in Nicholas.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nicol has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Nicol
- Nicol DavidMalaysian squash playerborn 1983
- Nicol DelagoItalian alpine skierborn 1996
- Nicol GastaldiArgentine olympic alpine skierborn 1990
- Nicol StephenBritish politician (born 1960)
- Nicol RuprechtAustrian rhythmic gymnastborn 1992
- Nicol ČupkováSlovak ice hockey playerborn 1992
- Nicol Alexander DalzellScottish botanist (1817-1878)
- Nicol PitroGerman badminton playerborn 1975
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nicol, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“God is gracious”
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