Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 3, 2026

Nicholas

Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek Νικόλαος, Nikolaos. It originally derived from a combination of two Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In turn, the name means "victory of the people."

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Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra
Pronunciation/ˈnɪkələs/
GenderMale
Origin
LanguageGreek
MeaningVictory of the people
Other names
Derived
  • Ancient Greek: Νῑκόλᾱος, romanized: Nikólaos:
  • From νίκη, nī́kē 'victory' and λᾱός, lāós 'people'
Related namesMiklós, Mikalai, Nicander, Nicanor, Niccolò, Nickolas, Nico, Nicol, Nicola, Nicolaas, Nicolae, Nicolao, Nicolas, Nicolau, Nicolay, Nicole, Nicolle, Nikita, Niklas, Nikola, Nikolai, Nikolaos, Nikolas, Nikolaus, Nikolla, Nikollë, Nikos

Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek Νικόλαος, Nikolaos. It originally derived from a combination of two Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In turn, the name means "victory of the people."

The name has been widely used in countries with significant Christian populations, owing in part to the veneration of Saint Nicholas, which became increasingly prominent in Western Europe from the 11th century. Revered as a saint in many Christian denominations, the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican Churches all celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on December 6. In maritime regions throughout Europe, the name and its derivatives have been especially popular, as St Nicholas is considered the protector saint of seafarers. This remains particularly so in Greece, where St Nicholas is the patron saint of the Hellenic Navy.12

Origins

The name derives from the Ancient Greek: Νῑκόλᾱος, romanized: Nikólaos.3 It is understood to mean 'victory of the people', being a compound of two Greek words, νίκη, nī́kē 'victory'4 and λᾱός, lāós 'people'.5 An ancient5 paretymology (a false etymology) of the latter element, λᾱός, is that it originates from λᾶς, lâs (a contracted form of λᾶας, lâas), meaning 'stone' or 'rock'.6 This is in reference to the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha from Greek mythology. As the sole survivors of a catastrophic deluge, they were able to repopulate the world by throwing stones behind them, over their shoulders, while they kept marching on. The stones formed men and women where they landed.

The name became popular through Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia, the inspiration for Santa Claus, but it predates said bishop by several centuries: the Athenian historian Thucydides for example, mentions that in the second year of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) between Sparta and Athens, the Spartans sent a delegation to the Persian king to ask for his help to fight the Athenians; a certain Nikolaos was one of the delegates.7

The customary English spelling Nicholas, using a ch, as though the word were spelled in Greek with a chi, first came into use in the 12th century and has been firmly established since the Reformation, although the spelling Nicolas is occasionally used.

In Scotland, until the late nineteenth century, fishing communities used Nicholas as a female name.89

Male variations

Variations for males include:1011

Female forms

Female forms include:10

People known as Nicholas

Single name (rulers, popes, patriarch and antipopes)

Given name

Nobility

Saints

Catholic

Eastern Orthodox

Surname

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Greece". St. Nicholas Center. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022.
  2. English, Adam C. (2012). "Death Is Only the Beginning". The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The true life and trials of Nicholas of Myra. Waco, Texas (USA): Baylor University Press. pp. 165–191. ISBN 978-1-60258-634-5.
  3. "Saint Nicholas: The story behind the legendary figure that inspired the modern-day Santa". Newshub. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  4. νίκη. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
  5. λαός in Liddell and Scott.
  6. λᾶας in Liddell and Scott.
  7. Thucydides. "2.67". History of the Peloponnesian War. At the Perseus Project digital library.
  8. "Details for the forename Nicholas". www.whatsinaname.net.
  9. "Forenames: Ambiguous names". ScotlandsPeople. Gov.UK. Names that, today, we would normally associate with boys were occasionally (mainly in the North of Scotland) given to girls and vice versa, for example, Nicholas.
  10. "Nicholas". Behind the Name.
  11. "Nikolai". Nordic Names.
  12. Makaleler. Turuk Dergisi.