Boy name
Nikolai
Nikolai holds the #605 spot on the 2025 list of the most popular boy names in the U.S. That amounts to 469 newborn boys in a single year. The name has been cooling off, slipping from #545 in 2020 to #605 today. Its strongest year on record was 2018 (#473 nationally, 614 newborns), in a data series reaching back to 1960. The name's biggest fan base is in New Mexico (#236 there in 2025).
Rankings
2025 rank
#605
among boy names
Trend
Falling
last 5 years
All-time peak
#473
in 2018 (2010s)
Babies in 2025
469
boys named Nikolai
Nikolai popularity, 1880–2025
Where Nikolai is most popular
Share of boys born in 2025:lowhighno data (< 5 births)
Strongest states: New Mexico (#236), Nebraska (#335), Connecticut (#382)
Uniqueness score
44/ 100Balanced
everywhereone of a kind
Well known, but far from crowded — the middle of the field. Based on how many babies per birth were named Nikolai in the most recent year of SSA data.