Nikodem
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "victor of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the first name Nikodem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nikodem today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nikodem births was 2022 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nikodem. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Nikodem with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
173
~ 1 in 1,981,239 Americans
Peak year
2022
19 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,368
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Nikodem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nikodem from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 86 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nikodem remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nikodem 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 Nikodem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nikodems live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nikodem
The name Nikodem has its roots in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the Greek words "nikē" meaning "victory" and "dēmos" meaning "people". The name can be interpreted to mean "victor of the people" or "victory of the people".
In its earliest recorded use, Nikodem was the name of a Jewish rabbi mentioned in the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible. This Nikodem is described as a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, who visited Jesus by night to learn from him. This biblical reference likely contributed to the name's early adoption and spread among Christians.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Nikodem was Nikodem of Novgorod (1023-1092), a Russian Orthodox saint and founder of the Nikodem Monastery in Novgorod. Another notable figure was Nikodem Cernović (1508-1616), a Serbian Orthodox monk and writer who was instrumental in the development of the Serbian literary language.
In the 17th century, Nikodem Pyl (1592-1667) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his allegorical works. Around the same time, Nikodem Leszczynski (1651-1705) was a Polish nobleman and statesman who served as the Grand Crown Chancellor of Poland.
Moving into the 19th century, Nikodem Biernacki (1826-1892) was a Polish painter and educator who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. More recently, Nikodem Skotarczak (1920-1995) was a Polish actor and director, best known for his roles in several popular Polish films of the 1960s and 1970s.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Nikodem. The name's Greek origins and association with biblical and religious figures have contributed to its enduring use across various cultures and time periods.
People
Nikodem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nikodem 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
Nikodem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nikodem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nikodem 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 1,981,239 US residents.
Is Nikodem a common name?
We classify Nikodem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nikodem most popular?
The single biggest year for Nikodem was 2022, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nikodem is about 10 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 Nikodem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nikodem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nikodem 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 Nikodem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nikodem 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 Nikodem 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 have Nikodem as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Nikodem, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.