| George | Nicholas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Farmer, earth-worker | Victory of the people |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JORJ | NIK-uh-lus |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (27,476) | 1995 (29,160) |
| In 2025 | 2,848 | 3,115 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | George | Nicholas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,661 | 20,988 |
| 2010s | 28,407 | 66,811 |
| 2000s | 28,006 | 177,609 |
| 1990s | 35,246 | 275,329 |
| 1980s | 45,712 | 223,308 |
| 1970s | 64,757 | 65,068 |
| 1960s | 113,023 | 22,339 |
| 1950s | 181,031 | 22,614 |
| 1940s | 209,013 | 15,503 |
| 1930s | 192,289 | 9,716 |
| 1920s | 261,945 | 13,608 |
| 1910s | 176,609 | 10,233 |
| 1900s | 43,589 | 1,334 |
| 1890s | 43,358 | 857 |
| 1880s | 47,651 | 730 |
George comes from the Greek Georgios, “farmer” or “earth-worker,” from gē (“earth”) and ergon (“work”). St George, the dragon-slayer, is the patron saint of England.
Nicholas comes from the Greek for “victory of the people.” St Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop famed for secret gift-giving, became the model for Santa Claus.
Nicholas is more popular than George today: about 3,115 US babies were given the name Nicholas in 2025, compared with 2,848 named George.
George means Farmer, earth-worker (Greek origin), while Nicholas means Victory of the people (Greek origin).
In US records, George first appears in 1880 and Nicholas in 1880, so George has the longer recorded history.