Given name & surname
Nikita
“unconquered, unconquerable”
Nikita is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “unconquered, unconquerable.”
Original GreekΝικήτας
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “unconquered, unconquerable.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English usage, Nikita developed from Νικήτας.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1949. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Nikita 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
Nikita through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 13,668
- 2,890 boys · 10,778 girls
- Most popular year
- 1986
- 1,066 babies
- 2025
- 56
- #4,524 for girls · #4,217 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −32%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 57% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 31 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,524 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 31.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,034 in 1986. It also appeared in 25 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,067 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nikita’s family of names
In English usage, Nikita developed from the Ancient Greek form Νικήτας. Nikita has a related form in Nicholas. Nikita has a related form in Nicole.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nikita has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Nikita comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 6
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Nikitasequivalent
- Mikitaequivalent
- NykitaEnglish
- NakitaEnglish
- Mykytaequivalent
- Мікітаequivalent
- Nicetaequivalent
- NicetasPolish
Show 2 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nikita
- Nikita Khrushchevleader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 19641894–1971
- Nikita MikhalkovRussian film director, writer, producer and actor (born 1945)
- Nikita MazepinRussian racing driverborn 1999
- HyacinthRussian sinologist, historian, and missionary (1777–1853)
- Nikita SimonyanSoviet and Russian footballer and coach1926–2025
- Nikita VitiugovRussian chess playerborn 1987
- Nikita ParrisEnglish association football player (born 1994)
- Nikita KucherovRussian ice hockey playerborn 1993
- Nikita RukavytsyaUkrainian-Australian soccer playerborn 1987
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nikita, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nicola
“of the victorious people”
67% boys · 33% girls
Nicky
“of the victorious people”
62% boys · 38% girls
Alexis
“helper and defender of mankind”
36% boys · 64% girls
Daryn
“a gift of God” · “a great man”
61% boys · 39% girls
Ilia
“from the ancient city”
48% boys · 52% girls
Nima
“blessed by God”
55% boys · 45% girls
Dominique
“born on the Lord's day” · “a lord”
63% boys · 37% girls
Sinclair
“man from Saint Clair”
35% boys · 65% girls