Given name & surname
Nicolau
Nicolau is a masculine given name from Old Galician-Portuguese, ultimately from Ancient Greek. It is used in Portuguese, Romanian, and Catalan.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
In Catalan use, Nicolau shares an earlier linguistic root with Nicholas. An origin associated with Nicholas is Dutch.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Catalan usage, Nicolau developed from Νικόλαος.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2018. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Catalan use, Nicolau shares an earlier linguistic root with 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
Nicolau through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10
- 10 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 131 as a first name in 2020; 514 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.
Nicolau’s family of names
Nicolau shares a linguistic root with Nicholas. In Portuguese usage, Nicolau has a related form in Nicolas. In Portuguese usage, Nicolau has a conventional equivalent in the English form Nicholas.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nicolau has relatives in 23 languages.
20 related names in 23 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.
Across languages 29
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Nicholascognate · English
- Nikoequivalent
- Nikolaosequivalent
- Nicolacognate · Italian, Sicilian
- Nilsequivalent
- Nielsequivalent
- Nikolayequivalent
- Nikosequivalent
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Mykolaequivalent
- NicolaasDutch
- Nicolaeequivalent
- NicolausLatin
- NikolajSlovene
- Nikolajusequivalent
- निक्लांवborrowing · kok
- Νικόλαοςroot · Greek, Ancient Greek
- NicolásSpanish
- MikulášCzech
- Миколаequivalent
- Νίκοςequivalent
- Niccolòequivalent
- Miklósequivalent
- NigolaSardinian
- НиколайRussian
- MikołajPolish
- NioclásIrish
- NikolazBreton
- القديسArabic
- Νικολάουsource · Greek
People named Nicolau
- Nicolau LobatoPrime Minister of East Timor (1946-1978)
- Nicolau CoelhoPortuguese navigator and explorer (1460-1504)
- Nicolau NasoniItalian architect (1691-1773)
- Nicolau SevcenkoBrazilian historian1952–2014
- Nicolau Tolentino de AlmeidaPortuguese writer1740–1811
- Nicolau Breyneractor (1940-2016)
- Nicholas I SanudoDuke of the Archipealgo1250–1341
- Nicolás FactorSpanish artist (1520-1583)
- Nicholas the Pilgrimbizantine saint1075–1094
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nicolau, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.