Name of the Week

 

Classic Nicholas is an evergreen choice
with kicking rhythm and striking Greek heritage.

 

Origin:

Nicholas is the Anglicised form of the Ancient Greek name Nikolaos, made up of the elements nikê “victory” and laos “people.”

Usage:

Nikolaos was in moderate use in Ancient Greece — it certainly wasn't rare, but not especially popular. Any rankings available for the mid-to-late Antiquity put it around 90th place in popularity; Nikostratos, Nikandros, Nikon, Nikias, Nikanor and Nikomachos were much more frequent in use.  Nicholas/Nikolaos became popular after the 3rd century, thanks to the fame of St Nicholas of Myra. Born in Asia Minor, Nicholas was ordained Bishop of Myra at a young age, making him one of the first in the Christian Church. He spent his life helping the underprivileged, and was even imprisoned for a while by the Romans.  By the 10th century, the cult of St Nicholas had become widespread and he was made patron saint of Russia and Greece, and the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants. Owing to the legends of his generosity, his being the patron of children, and having a feast day so close to Christmas (6th December), eventually he became the figure we now know as "Santa Clause." His cult was widely known in France and England in the 10th century, and consequently his name, too, was popular, being established in Britain after the Norman Conquest. In a study of 1000 names in 10 counties from 1377-81, Redmonds put Nicholas at #10, which he characterises as 'quite popular'.  Several other saints came to bear the name, also bolstering its popularity. Among them include Pope Nicholas I "Saint Nicholas the Great" (c. 800–867) who was revered as a saint just after his death. He was followed by four more Popes of the name as well as an Antipope. Col and Colin were the prevalent diminutives of Nicholas, while Nichol was the common vernacular form. The popularity of the name is attested by the multitude of surnames which derive from it, such as Nicholas, Nicklas, Niccols, Nichol, Nickel, Nickle, Nicolay, McNichol, McNickle, Nickson, Nicholson, Nickerson, Nickinson, Nicklen, Nickolds, Nixon, Collin, Colins and Colinson.  The feminine form Nichola can also be found in Medieval Latin records but (much like Philippa/Philip), such women would most likely have been called Nicholas. The variants Colina and Nicholina are responsible for the surname Nicholin, and Nicholas continued its use as a feminine name in Scotland up to the 19th century.  Smith Bannister's popularity rankings show that Nicholas maintained much of its popularity through the 16th century, though lost a little ground in the 17th century: 1538-49: #6; 1550-9: #8; 1560-9: #8; 1570-9: #11; 1580-9: #11; 1590-9: #10; 1600-9: #11; 1610-9: #10; 1620-9: #10; 1630-9: #13; 1640-9: #13; 1650-9: #12; 1660-9: #14; 1670-9: #18; 1680-9: #13; 1690-1700: #17.  This last number corresponds nicely to Leslie Dunkling's rankings, which put Nicholas at #19 in 1700 and #32 in 1800. By 1850, however, it falls out of his Top 50. Over the course of the 20th century, Nicholas gradually declined. It was #97 in 1880 and #127 in 1890. Though Nicholas moved out of the Top 100 by the end of the 20th century, it had swung back up again within four decades. It returned to the Top 100 in the 1940s, and peaked once again in the 1970s (at a time when feminine Nicola was also at its height).  1900: #136 1914: below #100 1924: below #100 1934: below #100 1944: #76 1954: #36 1964: #28 1974: #19 1984: #22 1994: #42 2004: #100 Since its peak in 1974, Nicholas has been on a steady decline in England and Wales. In 1996, it ranked #52 with 1385 births. It left the Top 100 in 2005 when it ranked #106 (535 births).  In 2012, Nicholas ranked #149 with 379 births. In the combined spellings rank, Nicholas et al ranked #123. In Scotland, Nicholas also did not rank in the Top 100. By 1950 it had risen to #94 and again to #46 in 1975.  Since then it has been declining in use. In 2005, Nicholas ranked #127 with 42 births. It was #156 in 2007, #162 in 2009, and #223 in 2011.  In 2012, Nicholas ranked #174 with 33 births.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464), a a German philosopher, theologian, jurist, and astronomer. * Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), noted astronomer.  * Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), French artist. Rulers and Saints: * 5 Popes. * 2 Russian Tsars. * 11 Saints. * 18 Blesseds. * 1 King of Denmark. * 1 King of Montenegro. * 1 Prince of Romania Contemporary: * Nicholas Murray Butler (b. 1931), Nobel Peace Prize winner.  * Nicolas Cage (b. 1964), American actor. * Nicholas Hoult (b. 1989), British actor. Literature and Media: * Nicholas, a character in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. * Nicholas Nickleby, a character in Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby (1839)

Variants:

Nikola (Croatian), Mikulas (Czech), Nikolaj (Danish), Nikolaas, Nicolaas (Dutch), Nigul (Estonian), Niklas (Finnish), Nicolaus (German), Nicklaus (Swiss), Nikolas (Greek), Miklos (Hungarian), Niccolo (Italian), Mikolaj (Polish), Nicolau (Portuguese), Nikolai (Russian), Nicol (Scottish), Nicolas, Nicolao (Spanish)

Pronunciation:

NIK-ə-ləs [key]

Possible diminutives:

Nick, Nicky, Cole, Col, Colin, Kick, Kai, Nico, Nils, Nio, Claus, Klaus, Oli

Sibling Names:

Katherine     Annabelle     Charlotte     Felicity     Miranda     Sophia  Alexander     Theodore     Joshua     Daniel     Michael      Christopher

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites    Terrifically Tudor    Gorgeously Georgian     Shakespearean Names      Dickensian Names   Names from Tennyson

 

If you like Nicholas you may also like:   Dominic, Matthew, Oliver, Maxwell, Thomas, Stephen, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Laurence, Robert

 

Thanks to Tiffany for requesting this post.