Name Awesome

Nicola

#8,718 in 2025UnisexGirls' nameBoys' name

Multiple documented origins; meaning depends on tradition

Nicola has been given to 8,090 babies in the U.S. since 1920. In 2025 it ranked #8,718 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 1972, with 183 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 63% girls, 37% boys all-time.

Babies named Nicola, 2025

1 in 276,000

Nicola over time, 1880–2025

GirlsBoys
05010015020018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Nicola over time

In 2025, Nicola went to 30% girls and 70% boys.

19082025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Nicola: meaning, origin, and history

Multiple documented origins; meaning depends on tradition

Ancient Greek and Italian

What Nicola means

Nicola has more than one naming route in the cited origin entries: distinct naming traditions.

The naming story behind Nicola

A separate documented entry treats Nicola as a form of Nicholas. That is a personal-name relationship, which differs from translating the letters of the modern spelling into one universal English word. The linked origin entry identifies the context of this relationship.

A separate documented entry treats Nicola as a feminine form of Nicholas. That is a personal-name relationship, which differs from translating the letters of the modern spelling into one universal English word. The linked origin entry identifies the context of this relationship.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

A feminine version of Nicholas, first used in the 20th century.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Nicola (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Nicola is used in English, German, Italian and Sicilian. Its origins include Ancient Greek and Italian.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Nikolaus, Nicholas, Niccolò, Nicolau, Nicolaus and Nicolás.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Nicola is pronounced /nɪˈkoʊlə/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 5,078 girls were recorded with the name Nicola between 1920 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 183 in 1972; its best national rank was #762 in 1972.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #10,069 in 2020 to #8,718 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #6,188 in 2015 to #8,718 in 2025.

In the United States, 3,012 boys were recorded with the name Nicola between 1908 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 53 in 1972; its best national rank was #1,124 in 1972.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #3,991 in 2020 to #3,919 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #3,565 in 2015 to #3,919 in 2025.

How common is Nicola?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 276,000
12 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 134,000
<0.01% of girls
Rank, 2025
#8,718
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
191,493 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Nicola sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 191,493 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Nicola. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Nicolas were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Nicola was born before 1979 — so the typical Nicola is around 46 today.

Median birth year
1979
About 46 years old
Biggest decade
1970s
26.0% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
15.5%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
4,780
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1970s — 26.0% of all recorded uses (1,320).

Is Nicola rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−1,222
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
+1,351
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
−2,530
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.57×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
6.6%
Peak was 1972 (183)
Years since peak
53
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
28.6% average annual change
Best rank ever
#762
1972

Spellings of Nicola

Nicola is not the most common spelling — Nicole is, with 67.7% against Nicola's 0.58%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Nicola is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Nicola was most concentrated in California — about 1 in 25,000 girls, against 1 in 56,080 across all states with data. It was least common in Virginia (1 in —).

04 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in 25,000
  2. 2New York1 in 25,000
  3. 3District of Columbia1 in 33,333
  4. 4Florida1 in 50,000
  5. 5Illinois1 in 50,000
  6. 6Massachusetts1 in 50,000
  7. 7Michigan1 in 50,000
  8. 8New Jersey1 in 50,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Nicola has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Where Nicola is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Nicola was most concentrated in New York — about 1 in 20,000 boys, against 1 in 67,337 across all states with data. It was least common in Ohio (1 in —).

05 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1New York1 in 20,000
  2. 2New Jersey1 in 33,333
  3. 3Connecticut1 in 50,000
  4. 4California1 in 100,000
  5. 5Florida1 in 100,000
  6. 6Illinois1 in 100,000
  7. 7Massachusetts1 in 100,000
  8. 8Pennsylvania1 in 100,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Nicola has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Nicola around the world

Where Nicola ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #4,201
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    1974–2024
    #790
    in 2024
  • Northern Ireland
    1997–2020
    #397
    in 2020
  • Ireland
    1964–2024
    #898
    in 2024
  • France
    1956–2012
    #8,006
    in 2012
  • Canada
    1991–2023
    #3,391
    in 2023
  • South Australia
    1947–2013
    #536
    in 2013
  • New South Wales
    1991–1998
    #93
    in 1998

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada, Consumer and Business Services (South Australia) and NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages. ONS, NRS, NISRA data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA, NSW BDM data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Notable people named Nicola

People whose public names include Nicola, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Nicola in other languages

Cross-language forms and variants of Nicola. Linked forms have their own page here.

NickyNicolNikolNicoleNikolaNixolaNiccolaNicklaNicolaia

Variant forms from Wikidata (CC0). Most are used mainly outside the United States; U.S. birth records statistics cover US usage only.

Nicola by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#8,718
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 1,351
Best rank ever
#762
1972
Peak year
1972
183 that year
First recorded
1920
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
5,078
Count in 2025
12

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#3,919
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 72
Best rank ever
#1,124
1972
Peak year
1972
53 that year
First recorded
1908
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
3,012
Count in 2025
28

Names similar to Nicola

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

NicholaNicolleNicolNichelleNickieNicholNickolaNicholasNickiEnolaNicolinaFabiolaNickoleCarolaNickyNicoNicolettaNicholeNikolaNiccoleZolaTheolaIolaNicolette

Names with a curve like Nicola

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Nicola, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

NikiStephenieJameyDarcieRanaShaniLatriciaShaneDemetriaCristaStaciaRichelle

Sibling names for Nicola

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Nicola

Top names of 1972, Nicola's peak yearThe 1970s in fullOther names that peaked in 1972Girls' names starting with NNicholas Variations & Nicknames