Niko
Niko was the 325th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,046 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 287th with 1,192 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 304 places. More babies were named Niko in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Nico) victory of the people (short form of Nicholas) · Greek, Italian, Spanish
- Rank in 2025
- #325 boys, up 33 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,046boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20221,192 babies
- Total since 1880
- 15,135babies recorded
What does the name Niko mean?
Niko is a spelling of Nico, pronounced the same way, so it shares Nico's meaning and origin.
Nico is a short form of Nicholas and of related names such as Nicolás, Nicola and Nikos, according to Wiktionary, and is used for both boys and girls. Nicholas comes from the Greek Nikolaos, made of nike, 'victory', and laos, 'people', as DMNES explains. Wikipedia describes it as a unisex given name, and Niko is another spelling. Wiktionary also records a separate pet form of Nicholas, said NIK-oh, built from Nick plus -o.
νίκη (Ancient Greek, “victory”)λαός (Ancient Greek, “people”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Nicholas, Nicolás, Nicola, Nikos, Niko, Nicole.
See also: Greek names, names that mean victory.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nico', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Nico (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Nicholas', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
Niko popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 506 since 1968, 19 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #325 | 1,046 |
| 2020 | #358 | 870 |
| 2010 | #789 | 278 |
| 2000 | #1,038 | 140 |
| 1990 | #776 | 171 |
| 1980 | #6,021 | 6 |
| 1970 | #3,448 | 9 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Niko, counting every spelling?
Niko is a spelling of Nico, a name family that ranked #116 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #325 for Niko on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,297 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nico | 2,066 | #174 | 8,053 |
| Niko | 1,046 | #325 | 5,452 |
| Nikko | 147 | #1,319 | 877 |
| Nicco | 21 | #4,817 | 185 |
| Nyko | 10 | #8,064 | 86 |
| Nicko | 7 | #10,377 | 28 |
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 Niko?
1,046 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Niko (0.29 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Niko 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 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Niko.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Niko?
About 14,400 people born in the US named Niko are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 17. That makes Niko a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Niko by state
How common Niko was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.1×), Hawaii (2.6×), Nevada (2.2×), Oregon (1.9×), Colorado (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Nebraska, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Niko: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Niko, they share its era and feel.
Niko is also a nickname for Nikolas.
Questions about the name Niko
What does Niko mean?
Niko is a spelling of Nico, which means “victory of the people (short form of Nicholas)” (Greek, Italian, Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Niko?
Niko was the 325th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,046 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 287th with 1,192 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 304 places. More babies were named Niko in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Niko a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Niko in the US.
Where is Niko most popular?
In 2021–2025, Niko was most common in New Mexico (1.94 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and Nevada.