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Boy's name · #2590 in the US (2025) · 2010s wave
Nicolai's best rank, #1883, came in 2015; it has settled back to #2590 today. Roughly 1,900 boys have been named Nicolai since 1962.
See where Nicolai is more common.
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 3 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
See how Nicolai ranks in other countries and regions.
#171 in Norway (2025) · #739 in Sweden (2025) · #2,663 in Italy (2024) · #5,137 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,625 in Ecuador (2024) · #3,093 in Austria (2024) · #907 in Poland (2023) · #5,956 in France (2023) · #2,493 in Canada (2022) · #1,038 in Belgium (2003) · #9 in Denmark (2000).
Among 512 notable people named Nicolai:
Medical professionals appear 1.76× more often than among typical names — e.g. Nicolai L. Volodos, Ukrainian surgeon (1934–2016).
Nicolai is the less common spelling of Nikolai — about 10% of babies given the name are written this way; Nikolai itself ranked #605 in 2025.
Similar names: Nikola · Arion · Nikolaos · Malachai · Kadence · Niklaus
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