Given name & surname
Niklaus
“victory”·“people”
Niklaus is a masculine given name. It is used in German.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Niklaus is a form of Nikolaus. Nikolaus is built from elements meaning “victory” and “people”.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
In German use, Niklaus shares an earlier linguistic root with 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 1979. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In German use, Niklaus 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
Niklaus through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,430
- 2,430 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 282 babies
- 2025
- 130
- #1,407 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 130 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,407 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (14). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,002 as a first name in 2020; 171 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.
Niklaus’s family of names
Niklaus shares a linguistic root with Nicholas. In German usage, Niklaus has a related form in Nikolas. In German usage, Niklaus has a related form in Nikolaus.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
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 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Niklaus
- Niklaus WirthSwiss computer scientist (1934–2024)
- Niklaus Manuel DeutschSwiss artist (1484-1530)
- Niklaus RiggenbachSwiss engineer (1817–1899)
- Niklaus Schurtenbergerequestrianborn 1968
- Niklaus SchillingSwiss film director, cinematographer, film editor and screenwriter (1944-2016)
- Niklaus Franz von BachmannSwiss general1740–1831
- Niklaus LeuenbergerSwiss revolutionary leader (1611-1653)1615–1653
- Niklaus PflugerSwiss priestborn 1958
- Niklaus MeienbergSwiss writer and journalist (1940-1993)
Characters named Niklaus: Klaus Mikaelson (The Vampire Diaries and The Originals television series).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Niklaus, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.