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