Fun Facts About the Name Nick
- More than 50 thousand babies named Nick: U.S. records list 50,584 babies given the name Nick from 1880 through 2025. Even 132 girls received the name Nick - about 1 girl for every 382 boys.
What Does the Name Nick Mean?
Nick is an English short form of Nicholas, which comes from the Greek Nikolaos (Νικόλαος). The Greek name joins two elements: νίκη (nikē), "victory," and λαός (laos), "people" or "folk." Read literally, the compound means "victory of the people," a sense usually taken as a good wish for the child rather than a plain description. The Greek form was carried into Latin as Nicolaus, and English Nicholas descends from that Latin form. Because Nick is a shortened form, it shares the meaning of Nicholas and has no separate etymology of its own.
Nick Name History & Origins
The name behind Nick is ancient Greek. It was borne in the fourth century by Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, whose cult spread through the Greek-speaking East and later through western Europe. His feast day and the stories attached to him fed into the Dutch figure Sinterklaas and eventually into the Santa Claus tradition. Along the way the name moved from Greek Nikolaos into Latin Nicolaus and then into English as Nicholas, which is recorded in England from the Middle Ages. Other European forms include French Nicolas, Italian Niccolò, Spanish Nicolás, and German Nikolaus.
Nick is one of several familiar shortenings of Nicholas, along with Nicky; other languages produced different short forms, such as Klaus and Klaas. In English-speaking countries Nick has both served as an everyday form of Nicholas and been given as a name in its own right. A separate point of confusion is the English phrase "Old Nick" for the devil, and the verb "to nick": those belong to the history of an ordinary English word, not to the origin of the personal name.
How Popular is the Name Nick?
Nick recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1960. Its best rank was #173 in 1918.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | #9,978 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #9,352 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #10,368 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #8,389 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #9,173 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #9,201 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #8,904 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #7,212 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #7,830 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #6,302 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1937 | #3,707 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #4,713 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #5,093 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1928 | #5,236 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #4,192 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #4,812 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #3,906 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #4,256 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #4,933 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #5,554 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1919 | #4,650 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #5,110 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #4,952 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,447 | 124 | 0.0073% |
| 2024 | #1,418 | 130 | 0.0076% |
| 2023 | #1,337 | 142 | 0.0083% |
| 2022 | #1,376 | 136 | 0.0078% |
| 2021 | #1,382 | 133 | 0.0076% |
| 2020 | #1,431 | 121 | 0.0070% |
| 2019 | #1,307 | 141 | 0.0079% |
| 2018 | #1,429 | 123 | 0.0068% |
| 2017 | #1,247 | 147 | 0.0079% |
| 2016 | #1,117 | 175 | 0.0092% |
| 2015 | #1,214 | 152 | 0.0079% |
| 2014 | #1,185 | 157 | 0.0082% |
| 2013 | #1,078 | 174 | 0.0092% |
| 2012 | #1,166 | 157 | 0.0083% |
| 2011 | #1,162 | 154 | 0.0081% |
| 2010 | #1,096 | 176 | 0.0092% |
| 2009 | #1,001 | 197 | 0.0099% |
| 2008 | #891 | 236 | 0.0116% |
| 2007 | #887 | 227 | 0.0109% |
| 2006 | #814 | 251 | 0.0122% |
| 2005 | #813 | 233 | 0.0117% |
| 2004 | #855 | 208 | 0.0105% |
| 2003 | #854 | 203 | 0.0103% |
| 2002 | #830 | 201 | 0.0104% |
| 2001 | #827 | 198 | 0.0102% |
| 2000 | #768 | 217 | 0.0110% |
| 1999 | #779 | 204 | 0.0106% |
| 1998 | #828 | 179 | 0.0094% |
| 1997 | #927 | 147 | 0.0078% |
| 1996 | #830 | 173 | 0.0091% |
| 1995 | #726 | 217 | 0.0114% |
| 1994 | #748 | 197 | 0.0102% |
| 1993 | #705 | 217 | 0.0111% |
| 1992 | #688 | 226 | 0.0113% |
| 1991 | #724 | 196 | 0.0097% |
| 1990 | #666 | 231 | 0.0112% |
| 1989 | #630 | 251 | 0.0125% |
| 1988 | #608 | 241 | 0.0126% |
| 1987 | #549 | 274 | 0.0147% |
| 1986 | #521 | 292 | 0.0159% |
| 1985 | #551 | 255 | 0.0138% |
| 1984 | #510 | 278 | 0.0154% |
| 1983 | #520 | 259 | 0.0144% |
| 1982 | #522 | 267 | 0.0147% |
| 1981 | #489 | 293 | 0.0164% |
| 1980 | #470 | 318 | 0.0178% |
| 1979 | #411 | 373 | 0.0217% |
| 1978 | #389 | 401 | 0.0244% |
| 1977 | #379 | 426 | 0.0259% |
| 1976 | #382 | 405 | 0.0258% |
| 1975 | #370 | 447 | 0.0286% |
| 1974 | #344 | 504 | 0.0321% |
| 1973 | #320 | 550 | 0.0353% |
| 1972 | #325 | 553 | 0.0341% |
| 1971 | #330 | 565 | 0.0319% |
| 1970 | #304 | 666 | 0.0358% |
| 1969 | #298 | 655 | 0.0366% |
| 1968 | #285 | 665 | 0.0383% |
| 1967 | #276 | 682 | 0.0391% |
| 1966 | #279 | 685 | 0.0384% |
| 1965 | #281 | 717 | 0.0385% |
| 1964 | #273 | 798 | 0.0400% |
| 1963 | #261 | 871 | 0.0429% |
| 1962 | #257 | 896 | 0.0433% |
| 1961 | #256 | 935 | 0.0440% |
| 1960 | #242 | 1,099 | 0.0515% |
| 1959 | #247 | 1,054 | 0.0494% |
| 1958 | #266 | 848 | 0.0400% |
| 1957 | #282 | 690 | 0.0320% |
| 1956 | #336 | 493 | 0.0233% |
| 1955 | #338 | 471 | 0.0229% |
| 1954 | #342 | 431 | 0.0211% |
| 1953 | #340 | 418 | 0.0212% |
| 1952 | #340 | 420 | 0.0216% |
| 1951 | #323 | 448 | 0.0238% |
| 1950 | #329 | 422 | 0.0236% |
| 1949 | #326 | 446 | 0.0251% |
| 1948 | #294 | 547 | 0.0312% |
| 1947 | #264 | 646 | 0.0353% |
| 1946 | #268 | 565 | 0.0348% |
| 1945 | #266 | 491 | 0.0365% |
| 1944 | #267 | 498 | 0.0365% |
| 1943 | #252 | 558 | 0.0391% |
| 1942 | #258 | 520 | 0.0377% |
| 1941 | #273 | 440 | 0.0358% |
| 1940 | #277 | 409 | 0.0353% |
| 1939 | #272 | 405 | 0.0366% |
| 1938 | #278 | 400 | 0.0361% |
| 1937 | #275 | 395 | 0.0370% |
| 1936 | #262 | 421 | 0.0406% |
| 1935 | #255 | 456 | 0.0438% |
| 1934 | #248 | 465 | 0.0450% |
| 1933 | #231 | 499 | 0.0503% |
| 1932 | #241 | 490 | 0.0469% |
| 1931 | #231 | 512 | 0.0492% |
| 1930 | #210 | 630 | 0.0574% |
| 1929 | #216 | 588 | 0.0547% |
| 1928 | #217 | 604 | 0.0545% |
| 1927 | #216 | 616 | 0.0547% |
| 1926 | #213 | 642 | 0.0578% |
| 1925 | #203 | 691 | 0.0619% |
| 1924 | #189 | 747 | 0.0659% |
| 1923 | #198 | 690 | 0.0629% |
| 1922 | #178 | 790 | 0.0726% |
| 1921 | #183 | 765 | 0.0695% |
| 1920 | #194 | 699 | 0.0657% |
| 1919 | #188 | 682 | 0.0696% |
| 1918 | #173 | 761 | 0.0751% |
| 1917 | #177 | 705 | 0.0762% |
| 1916 | #182 | 656 | 0.0737% |
| 1915 | #177 | 642 | 0.0757% |
| 1914 | #196 | 425 | 0.0649% |
| 1913 | #211 | 310 | 0.0605% |
| 1912 | #219 | 248 | 0.0577% |
| 1911 | #220 | 130 | 0.0575% |
| 1910 | #209 | 124 | 0.0638% |
| 1909 | #251 | 79 | 0.0482% |
| 1908 | #228 | 84 | 0.0544% |
| 1907 | #232 | 77 | 0.0524% |
| 1906 | #239 | 67 | 0.0503% |
| 1905 | #275 | 52 | 0.0393% |
| 1904 | #255 | 57 | 0.0445% |
| 1903 | #275 | 46 | 0.0386% |
| 1902 | #324 | 37 | 0.0302% |
| 1901 | #274 | 40 | 0.0376% |
| 1900 | #300 | 49 | 0.0326% |
| 1899 | #342 | 28 | 0.0264% |
| 1898 | #319 | 37 | 0.0302% |
| 1897 | #296 | 39 | 0.0346% |
| 1896 | #350 | 31 | 0.0259% |
| 1895 | #344 | 29 | 0.0247% |
| 1894 | #287 | 38 | 0.0328% |
| 1893 | #389 | 22 | 0.0196% |
| 1892 | #308 | 37 | 0.0303% |
| 1891 | #255 | 40 | 0.0395% |
| 1890 | #253 | 45 | 0.0405% |
| 1889 | #292 | 34 | 0.0307% |
| 1888 | #255 | 48 | 0.0397% |
| 1887 | #309 | 29 | 0.0286% |
| 1886 | #251 | 47 | 0.0424% |
| 1885 | #272 | 38 | 0.0353% |
| 1884 | #250 | 48 | 0.0419% |
| 1883 | #277 | 36 | 0.0344% |
| 1882 | #293 | 35 | 0.0308% |
| 1881 | #255 | 39 | 0.0387% |
| 1880 | #269 | 40 | 0.0362% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
