Nick
Nick was the 1447th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 124 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 173rd; the most babies were born in 1960 (1,098). Over the last ten years it has moved down 233 places. More babies were named Nick in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Nicholas; "victory of the people" · Greek, English
Say it NIK /nɪk/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,447 boys, down 26 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 124boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19601,098 babies
- Total since 1880
- 50,589babies recorded
What does the name Nick mean?
Nick is the short form of Nicholas (and of related names like Nicolas and Nikola). Nicholas comes from the Greek Nikolaos, made of nikē, "victory", and laos, "people". DMNES notes that Saint Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop who became Santa Claus, made it one of the commonest medieval names, and records the English pet form Nic in 1379. Nick is also used as a name in its own right.
νίκη (Greek, “victory”)λαός (Greek, “people”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Nicholas, Nicky, Nico, Nicolas, Colin.
See also: Greek names, names that mean victory.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nick', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Nicholas', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Nick (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Nick
The usual nicknames for Nick are Nicky. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Nick in the last five years, 10 were named Nicky, against 13 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky · also for Nicholas, Nicole | Traditional | #9,456 | 69 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Nicks go by each one.
Nick popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 132 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,447 | 124 |
| 2020 | #1,421 | 122 |
| 2010 | #1,096 | 176 |
| 2000 | #768 | 217 |
| 1990 | #663 | 232 |
| 1980 | #472 | 317 |
| 1970 | #304 | 666 |
| 1960 | #242 | 1,098 |
| 1950 | #329 | 422 |
| 1940 | #277 | 409 |
| 1930 | #210 | 630 |
| 1920 | #194 | 699 |
| 1910 | #209 | 124 |
| 1900 | #300 | 49 |
| 1890 | #253 | 45 |
| 1880 | #269 | 40 |
How popular is Nick, counting every spelling?
Nick is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,333 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,447 for Nick on its own. Together these spellings went to 131 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick | 124 | #1,447 | 667 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nick?
124 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nick (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Nick born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 68 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nick.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nick?
About 26,400 people born in the US named Nick are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 37 and 67. That makes Nick a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nick by state
How common Nick was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.0×), Florida (1.8×), New York (1.5×). In 36 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nick: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nick, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nick · Sibling names for Nick
Nick is also a nickname for Nicholas and Nikolas.
Questions about the name Nick
What does Nick mean?
Nick means “short form of Nicholas; "victory of the people"” (Greek, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Nick?
Nick was the 1447th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 124 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 173rd; the most babies were born in 1960 (1,098). Over the last ten years it has moved down 233 places. More babies were named Nick in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Nick a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Nick in the US.
Where is Nick most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nick was most common in California (0.15 per 1,000 boys), followed by Florida and New York.