Nicholas Name Popularity

Charts | Table | About | By Year

How popular is Nicholas?

The popular name Nicholas was the 74th Most Popular Boys Name in the United States in 2018.

This top 100 contender has enjoyed a rank in the top 250 since 1880, when the Social Security Administration began keeping records.

It reached its highest popularity RANKING of #5 in 1999.

However, the name was bestowed upon the greatest number of babies in 1995 with 29,156 occurrences.

In any year, the least number of babies named Nicholas was 56 in 1881.

Decidely upward trends in the number of babies given the name Nicholas occurred roughly during the years 1903-1915, 1938-1942, 1943-1951, 1965-1968, 1970-1973, 1974-1979, and 1983-1989, whereas unequivocal downward movement occurred about 2000-2017.

Where is the name Nicholas popularity headed?

Overall, when compared to its most prominent year, the name's popularity is at a very low point.

Nicholas's popularity has been spiralling downward for some time. Of late, continuing the trend, the number of parents selecting the name Nicholas for their newborn has dropped.

The name Nicholas is favored by many parents but will probably continue to drift downward in popularity.

*Mouse over the charts or scroll down to the table for data details.

Mouse over or Click

for Percentages.

		Nicholas (Girl)		Nicholas (Boy)
Year	%	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank
2018		< 5	--	4,801	74
2017		6	15,372	5,348	68
2016		6	15,669	5,747	63
2015		7	14,059	6,241	62
2014		11	9,976	6,765	57
2013		13	8,911	7,137	54
2012		8	13,105	7,735	49
2011		15	8,083	8,591	42
2010		11	10,263	9,641	37
2009		18	7,261	10,850	32
2008		21	6,500	12,524	29
2007		14	8,865	14,358	20
2006		16	7,755	15,669	17
2005		24	5,389	17,072	15
2004		72	2,384	18,515	13
2003		44	3,328	19,693	12
2002		39	3,511	21,390	9
2001		35	3,761	22,845	6
2000		39	3,442	24,652	6
1999		39	3,292	25,638	5
1998		38	3,275	26,634	6
1997		51	2,544	27,257	6
1996		52	2,471	27,720	6
1995		56	2,361	29,156	6
1994		66	2,094	27,762	9
1993		91	1,661	28,107	8
1992		80	1,814	27,757	12
1991		81	1,775	27,355	12
1990		70	1,967	27,908	14
1989		121	1,307	28,226	14
1988		135	1,135	25,294	14
1987		160	985	23,252	16
1986		135	1,104	22,798	17
1985		162	960	22,397	19
1984		146	994	21,019	20
1983		135	1,039	19,893	21
1982		136	1,061	19,646	21
1981		124	1,120	19,780	21
1980		139	1,033	21,026	17
1979		140	1,014	21,345	15
1978		108	1,171	16,353	25
1977		34	2,543	6,081	51
1976		20	3,489	3,474	77
1975		24	3,023	3,322	81
1974		21	3,279	3,216	81
1973		16	3,905	3,151	85
1972		16	3,833	2,844	99
1971		22	3,120	2,617	123
1970		7	6,825	2,702	123
1969		8	5,818	2,585	123
1968		16	3,409	2,562	117
1967		12	3,988	2,295	129
1966		7	5,647	2,143	139
1965		7	5,642	2,071	149
1964		< 5	--	2,070	158
1963		10	4,455	2,135	155
1962		< 5	--	2,150	155
1961		8	5,169	2,074	158
1960		< 5	--	2,301	153
1959		6	6,037	2,195	156
1958		9	4,419	2,184	154
1957		7	5,233	2,195	152
1956		6	5,759	2,212	147
1955		7	5,057	2,186	141
1954		11	3,649	2,369	134
1953		5	6,290	2,358	131
1952		< 5	--	2,343	127
1951		< 5	--	2,390	120
1950		< 5	--	2,178	124
1949		5	5,809	1,998	136
1948		5	5,798	1,929	142
1947		< 5	--	1,935	143
1946		< 5	--	1,676	144
1945		6	4,398	1,356	151
1944		< 5	--	1,363	150
1943		6	4,553	1,433	148
1942		< 5	--	1,502	142
1941		6	4,294	1,211	146
1940		< 5	--	1,101	154
1939		< 5	--	1,032	156
1938		5	4,813	988	161
1937		< 5	--	935	159
1936		< 5	--	928	157
1935		< 5	--	912	158
1934		< 5	--	873	165
1933		7	3,656	888	160
1932		6	4,288	926	163
1931		8	3,414	1,102	145
1930		14	2,390	1,131	147
1929		13	2,540	1,191	142
1928		7	4,070	1,217	140
1927		12	2,814	1,272	137
1926		16	2,325	1,319	133
1925		7	4,319	1,332	133
1924		13	2,774	1,488	122
1923		5	5,498	1,466	120
1922		7	4,323	1,416	122
1921		6	4,932	1,554	114
1920		6	4,816	1,355	124
1919		7	4,141	1,321	122
1918		< 5	--	1,488	113
1917		6	4,457	1,412	109
1916		7	3,821	1,419	107
1915		< 5	--	1,427	104
1914		< 5	--	1,151	102
1913		< 5	--	796	110
1912		< 5	--	676	113
1911		< 5	--	308	120
1910		< 5	--	235	137
1909		< 5	--	204	133
1908		< 5	--	226	113
1907		< 5	--	161	143
1906		< 5	--	144	143
1905		< 5	--	112	173
1904		< 5	--	102	180
1903		< 5	--	90	184
1902		< 5	--	112	159
1901		< 5	--	88	169
1900		< 5	--	95	200
1899		< 5	--	69	196
1898		< 5	--	94	172
1897		< 5	--	87	178
1896		< 5	--	106	157
1895		< 5	--	84	187
1894		< 5	--	77	193
1893		< 5	--	89	163
1892		< 5	--	95	168
1891		< 5	--	78	165
1890		< 5	--	78	175
1889		< 5	--	68	194
1888		< 5	--	97	157
1887		< 5	--	79	158
1886		< 5	--	85	165
1885		< 5	--	66	196
1884		< 5	--	69	194
1883		< 5	--	71	175
1882		< 5	--	66	196
1881		< 5	--	56	204
1880		< 5	--	73	178

United States name popularity data is provided by the Social Security Administration and is based on Social Security card applications.

Data for a given year is not made available until well into the next year.

Data reflects what was recorded and has not been edited for errors, so for example the gender associated with a name may be incorrect.

The more babies that are given a particular name, the higher the popularity ranking. If multiple names have the same usage, the tie is broken by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. Therefore in the case of names with fewer occurrences, names with the same number of occurrences may have vastly different rankings because they will be interranked alphabetically.

To safeguard privacy, the SSA does not include names with less than 5 occurrences.

Please note, we update the data each May when the SSA releases new figures. All data changes at that time, including previous years, which will change minutely based on new information.