Nickolas is a variant spelling of Nicholas, from the Greek Nikolaos, which combines nike, "victory", and laos, "people", and so means "victory of the people". Saint Nicholas of Myra, the 4th-century bishop behind Santa Claus, made it a favorite across Europe. The k spelling peaked at number 282 in 2000, dropped out of the top 1000 in 2019 and stands at number 1498 in 2025.