Nicolo
Masculine · “victory of the people”
Niccolò is the Italian of Nicholas — victory of the people — and Machiavelli and Paganini both carried it.
How old is the name Nicolo?
Nicolo first appears in US birth records in 1914 — 111 years ago. The typical Nicolo alive today was born around 2004, making them about 21 years old. About 1,400 people named Nicolo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nicolo most popular?
Nicolo peaked in 1921, reaching #2265 nationally. Today it ranks #2718, 453 places below that high. See the whole 1921 chart.
Where it comes from
From nike laos to Nicolo
The story of Nicolo
Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince while out of office and hoping to get back in; Niccolò Paganini played so well that people said he had sold his soul. Nicholas of Myra, behind the name, became Santa Claus by way of Dutch Sinterklaas. Nicolo appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
victory of the people
From the Greek nike, 'victory', and laos, 'people'. Nike was the goddess and the ordinary noun alike. Niccolò is the Italian form, usually spelled Nicolo in American records. The Greek is documented.
How the name formed
- nike laos
- Nikolaos
- Niccolò
Related forms: Niccolò · Nicholas · Nicolas
Pronouncing Nicolo
nee-koh-LOH
Three syllables, stress on the third. Italian marks the final stress with an accent.
Nicknames for Nicolo
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
- 1914
- Most boys named
- 202547 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2265reached in 1921
- Change vs 2023
- +17.5%47 in 2025, from 40
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.
Nicolo in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Niccolò in Italian — spelling variant
- Nicholas in English — related form
- Nicolas in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, New Jersey.
Nicolos among us
people named Nicolo are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 36,342 born in 2025 was named Nicolo
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Nicolo
- #2718
- Nicolo on the 2025 chart
- #841
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Nicolo went to 47 boys in 2025, but Niccolo is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 87, which makes it the 841st most-given boys’ name of the year — 1,877 places above the chart.
- Nicolo47
- Niccolo40
About 1 boy in 19,633 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 36,342 for Nicolo itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Nicolo 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 Nicolo is headed
Nicolo 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.
Nicolo beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Nicolo in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That Machiavelli and Paganini both carried it is a first-rate pair of bearers.
- Nico is available as a short form with a real record.
- The victory-of-the-people meaning is transparent and strong.
- Niccolò with the accent is the standard Italian spelling.
- Nicholas is what English speakers will substitute.
- The final stress is unusual for English speakers.
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What they receive
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Nicolo
Masculine · #2718 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nicolos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Nicolo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Nicolo?
- Nicolo is the most-used spelling in US records — 47 of the 87 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Niccolo.
- How popular is the name Nicolo in 2025?
- Nicolo ranks #2718 among US boy names in 2025, with 47 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Nicolo?
- About 1 in every 36,342 US boys born in 2025 was named Nicolo — 47 in all.
- Will my child share the name Nicolo with classmates?
- Nicolo will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Nicolo
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Einar#2718 · Kurtis#2718 · Sasha#2718 · Jovany#2718 · Ahsan#2718 · Xavien#2718 · Yassin#2718 · Unknown#2718
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nicolo? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Nicolo 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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