Nicodemus
Masculine · “victory of the people”
Nicodemus is a Greek compound about winning, and it belongs to one of the quieter scenes in the gospels: a man who comes to ask his questions at night, when nobody will see him, and who turns up again at the end to help with the burial.
How old is the name Nicodemus?
Nicodemus first appears in US birth records in 1924 — 101 years ago. The typical Nicodemus alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 1,100 people named Nicodemus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nicodemus most popular?
Nicodemus peaked in 1994, reaching #2444 nationally. Today it ranks #2798, 354 places below that high. See the whole 1994 chart.
Nicodemus appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Nikodemos to Nicodemus
The story of Nicodemus
Nicodemus appears in the gospel of John as a Pharisee and a member of the council who comes to Jesus after dark to talk, argues later that a man should be heard before he is judged, and finally brings a large quantity of myrrh and aloes to the burial. The three appearances together make one of the more human portraits in the book. The name stayed in Christian use across Europe, and in America it has been most visible in African-American communities, where it was among the biblical names in wide use in the nineteenth century.
Meaning
victory of the people
Greek Nikodemos joins nike, 'victory', to demos, 'the people' — the same two elements behind Nicholas, which reverses them. The compound is transparent and undisputed. Greek naming built a great many names this way, out of two ordinary nouns set side by side.
How the name formed
- Nikodemos
- Nicodemus
Related forms: Nikodemos · Nicodemo · Nicodemo · Nikodem
Pronouncing Nicodemus
nik-uh-DEE-mus
Four syllables with the stress on the third. Greek puts it on the second, ni-KO-de-mos, which sounds noticeably different; English has moved it back, as it does with most Greek names of this shape.
Nicknames for Nicodemus
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1924
- Most boys named
- 202248 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2444reached in 1994
- Change vs 2024
- +28.6%45 in 2025, from 35
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Nicodemus in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Nikodemos in Greek — same name
- Nicodemo in Spanish — same name
- Nicodemo in Italian — same name
- Nikodem in Polish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Florida.
Nicodemuss among us
people named Nicodemus are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 37,957 born in 2025 was named Nicodemus
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Dewell test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Nicodemus's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Dewell climbed just as high around 1930, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Dewell's path sketches the road Nicodemus is walking now.
Nicodemus sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Nicodemus is headed
Nicodemus should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Nicodemus beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Nicodemus in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented biblical figure with a genuinely sympathetic and unusual portrait.
- Nick is a ready short form that needs no explaining anywhere.
- Four syllables gives it real formality, with everyday forms available underneath.
- Four syllables is long, and almost everyone will use Nick instead.
- It is a strongly and unmistakably scriptural name, which reads as a statement.
- Nicodemus and Nikodemus are both in use, and the c-or-k question comes up in writing.
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What they receive
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Nicodemus
Masculine · #2798 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nicodemuss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Nicodemus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Nicodemus in 2025?
- Nicodemus ranks #2798 among US boy names in 2025, with 45 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Nicodemus?
- About 1 in every 37,957 US boys born in 2025 was named Nicodemus — 45 in all.
- Will my child share the name Nicodemus with classmates?
- Nicodemus will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Nicodemus
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Chayce#2798 · Jaiceon#2798 · Hutson#2798 · Murad#2798 · Rickey#2798 · Hamzah#2798 · Amor#2798 · Kayde#2798
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nicodemus? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Nicodemus and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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