Given name & surname
Nicolai
“of the victorious people”
Nicolai is a variant of Nicholas. One Greek interpretation is “of the victorious people.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nicolai is a variant of Nicholas. One Greek interpretation is “of the victorious people.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Nicolai is a variant of Nicholas. An origin associated with Nicholas is Dutch.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1962. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Nicolai is a variant of Nicholas. The history of Nicholas gives this family its wider story. Nicholas’s Christian associations include Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop of Myra in Lycia, about whom virtually nothing factual is known.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Nicolai through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,865
- 1,865 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 78 babies
- 2025
- 51
- #2,590 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 51 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,590 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 0.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 78 in 2015. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,819 as a first name in 2020; 1,879 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.
Nicolai’s family of names
In Danish usage, Nicolai has a diminutive in Nick. In Italian usage, Nicolai as a surname shares a linguistic root with the Walloon form Nicolayî. Nicolai has a related form in Nicholas.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nicolai has relatives in 7 languages.
11 related names in 7 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Nicholasvariant · English
- Nikolaivariant · Finnish, Norwegian
- Nikolasvariant · German
- Nickdiminutive · Danish
- Nicolavariant · Italian
- Nikolausvariant · German
- Nikolajvariant · Danish
- Nicolausvariant · German
Show 3 moreShow fewer
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 Nicolai
- Nicolai HartmannGerman philosopher (1882–1950)
- Nicolai JørgensenDanish association football player (1991-)
- Nicolai BoilesenDanish footballerborn 1992
- Nicolai Brock-MadsenDanish footballerborn 1993
- Nicolai Cleve BrochNorwegian actorborn 1975
- Nicolai EigtvedDanish architect1701–1754
- Dev1ceDanish eSports playerborn 1995
- Nicolai WammenDanish politicianborn 1971
- Nicolai WergelandFather of the Constitution of Norway (1780-1848)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nicolai, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nikkos
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Niko
“of the victorious people”
98% boys · 2% girls
Nico
“of the victorious people”
97% boys · 3% girls
Nekoda
85% boys · 15% girls
Nikshay
>99% boys
Ikeni
>99% boys
Nirvin
>99% boys
Joran
“one who works the earth; a farmer” · “jehovah is exalted”
>99% boys