Nikalus
Variant spelling of the name Nicholas, of Greek origin meaning "victor of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Nikalus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nikalus today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nikalus births was 2000 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nikalus. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nikalus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
2000
7 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2007 SSA rank
#10,569
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Nikalus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nikalus from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 30 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nikalus by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nikalus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nikalus
The name Nikalus is a variant of the given name Nicholas, which has its origins in the Greek language. It is derived from the Greek words "nikan" meaning "to conquer" and "laos" meaning "people." The name was first used in ancient Greece and later adopted by early Christians.
Nikalus gained widespread popularity as a result of its association with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint and Greek bishop of Myra in Lycia (modern-day Turkey). Saint Nicholas was renowned for his generosity and became the inspiration for the legendary figure of Santa Claus. His feast day is celebrated on December 6th in many parts of the world.
In the Middle Ages, the name Nikalus was commonly used across Europe, particularly in regions influenced by the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was also popular in regions with strong ties to the Catholic Church, as Saint Nicholas was venerated as a patron saint of children, sailors, and various cities and countries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nikalus can be found in the 11th-century chronicle "The Russian Primary Chronicle," which mentions a prince named Nikalus Sviatoslavich. Another notable figure was Nikalus of Cusa, a 15th-century German philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, born in 1401 and died in 1464.
Other famous individuals with the name Nikalus include Nikalus Copernicus, the renowned 16th-century Polish astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model of the solar system. He was born in 1473 and died in 1543. Nikalus Flamel was a 14th-century French scribe and manuscript-seller, born around 1330 and believed to have lived until around 1418.
In the realm of literature, Nikalus Culpeper was a 17th-century English botanist, herbalist, and physician, born in 1616 and died in 1654. He is known for his influential book "The English Physitian," which popularized the use of medicinal herbs.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Nikalus, highlighting its enduring presence and cultural significance across various regions and time periods.
People
Nikalus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nikalus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nikalus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nikalus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nikalus going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Nikalus a common name?
We classify Nikalus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 40 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nikalus most popular?
The single biggest year for Nikalus was 2000, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nikalus is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nikalus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nikalus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nikalus in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nikalus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nikalus in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nikalus can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Nikalus?
You can see how many people have the name Nikalus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.