Given name & surname
Nikolaus
“of the victorious people”
Nikolaus is a form of Nicholas. One Greek interpretation is “of the victorious people.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nikolaus is a form of Nicholas. One Greek interpretation is “of the victorious people.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Nikolaus is a form of Nicholas. An origin associated with Nicholas is Dutch.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German use, Nikolaus is used as a form of Nicholas.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1955. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Nikolaus is a form 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
Nikolaus through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,656
- 2,656 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1994
- 98 babies
- 2025
- 24
- #4,346 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +3%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 24 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,346 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 98 in 1994. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,252 as a first name in 2020; 530 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.
Nikolaus’s family of names
In German usage, Nikolaus has a diminutive in Nick. Nikolaus shares a linguistic root with Nicholas. In German usage, Nikolaus has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Nicolas.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nikolaus has relatives in 37 languages.
85 related names in 37 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 48
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Nicholasvariant · English, French
- Niconickname · German
- Nicolasvariant · German, Portuguese
- Nikodiminutive · Finnish
- Nikolaivariant · German
- Nikolasvariant · German, Finnish
- Niklausvariant · German
- Nickdiminutive · German
Show 40 moreShow fewer
- Nikolavariant · German, Hungarian
- Klausdiminutive · German, French
- Nikolaosvariant · German
- Nicolaivariant · German
- Nicolavariant · German, Italian
- Nikidiminutive · Finnish
- Nicklausvariant · German, Swedish
- Niklasvariant · German, Swedish
- Nicklasvariant · German, Swedish
- Nicolaasvariant · German, Dutch
- Nikkolauslikely variant
- Nikolaasvariant · German, Dutch
- Nicolauvariant · German, Portuguese
- Niclausvariant · German
- Niclasvariant · German, Swedish
- Nickolausvariant · German
- Nicolausvariant · German, Latin
- Neijonendiminutive · Finnish
- Klamidiminutive · Finnish
- Claesshort form · Swedish
- Niglshort form · German
- Kloseshort form · German
- Klaasshort form · German
- Nikolausenvariant · German
- Nikolasenvariant · German
- Niklausenvariant · German
- Niklassonvariant · German
- Niklassvariant · German
- Niklahsvariant · German
- Niklaassenvariant · German
- Nicklauvariant · German
- Nicklassvariant · German
- Nicolausenvariant · German
- Nicolassenvariant · German
- Nicolasenvariant · German
- Niclaussvariant · German
- Niclausenvariant · German
- Niclassonvariant · German
- Niclassenvariant · German
- Niclasenvariant · German
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 56
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- NickolasEnglish
- ClaudioItalian
- Nilsequivalent
- Nielsequivalent
- Nikolayequivalent
- Nikosequivalent
- Mykolaequivalent
- NicholausEnglish
Show 48 moreShow fewer
- NicolasaSpanish
- Niiloequivalent
- Nicolaeequivalent
- Nicolinoequivalent
- Nikolajalso known as · Slovene, Danish
- NycholasEnglish
- NichalasEnglish
- NiccolasEnglish
- Nikolajusequivalent
- MikławšUpper Sorbian
- Νικόλαοςroot · Greek, Ancient Greek
- NícolasPortuguese
- NicolásSpanish
- Nitzelderivative · English
- MikulášCzech, Slovak
- Klasequivalent
- Mikolaequivalent
- Nikolazequivalent
- Klusequivalent
- Nicolaesequivalent
- Kleesequivalent
- Mikolausequivalent
- Nickelequivalent
- Clesseequivalent
- MiklósHungarian
- МиколайUkrainian
- МиколаUkrainian
- MikulaCzech
- MikolášCzech
- NicolaoSpanish
- MiklavžSlovene
- НиколаSerbian, Macedonian
- Nihkulsmi
- Nihkolávosmi
- НиколайRussian, Bulgarian
- NeculaiRomanian
- NikolaeRomanian
- MikołajPolish
- NikolajsLatvian
- NicolòItalian
- NiccolòItalian
- NikulásIcelandic
- NioclásIrish
- ΝίκοςGreek
- ნიკოლოზGeorgian
- NigulEstonian
- NikolaoEsperanto
- NichelasEnglish
People named Nikolaus
- Nicolaus CopernicusPolish mathematician and astronomer (1473-1543)
- Nicholas of CusaGerman philosopher (1401 – 1464)
- Nikolaus LenauAustrian poet (1802-1850)
- Nicolaus ZinzendorfGerman protestant religious and social reformer, bishop of the Moravian Church (1700-1760)
- Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquinchemist, physician and botanist from the Netherlands (1727-1817)
- Nikolaus HarnoncourtAustrian conductor (1929–2016)
- Nikolaus von FalkenhorstGerman general (1885-1968)
- Nikolaus PevsnerGerman-born British scholar (1902-1983)
- Nicholas MercatorGerman mathematician (c.1620 – 1687)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nikolaus, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nicko
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Nichols
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Narciso
Narciso is a masculine given name. It is used in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
>99% boys
Nicoli
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Erasmo
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys
Nicanor
“a conqueror” · “of the victorious army”
>99% boys
Myran
“refers to myrrh, a fragrant oil”
95% boys · 5% girls
Quenton
“the fifth-born child”
>99% boys