Nikolay is a distinctive choice, ranked #2264 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Nikolay in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#2264
About the Name Nikolay
Nikolay has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 833 places in five years. It was most popular in 2021 at #1250 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a regular feature in UK records since 2008.
Nikolay is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Nikolay
Unlikely. With around 10 UK babies named Nikolay per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Nikolay in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Nikolay has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 833 places in the last five years. Its peak was #1250 in 2021. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Nikolay is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Nikolay include: Nikolay Valev — Nikolay Valev is a Bulgarian football forward who currently plays for Tundzha Yambol.; Nikolay Tsiskaridze — Nikolay Maximovich Tsiskaridze PAR (Russian: Николай Максимович Цискаридзе; Georgian: ნიკოლოზ ცისკარიძე, Nik'oloz Cisk'aridze) is a Russian ballet dancer who...; Nikolay Vladinov — Nikolay Vladinov is a Bulgarian former footballer who played as a forward and attacking midfielder..
Nikolay does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Nikolays in the wild.
10
UK babies named Nikolay (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 833 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Nikolay
Likely around 1 other Nikolay in the class
UK Popularity (2008–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Nikolay
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Nikolay Maximovich Tsiskaridze PAR (Russian: Николай Максимович Цискаридзе; Georgian: ნიკოლოზ ცისკარიძე, Nik'oloz Cisk'aridze) is a Russian ballet dancer who had been a member of the Bolshoi Ballet for 21 years.
Nikolay Semyonovich Bondar is a Russian jurist and constitutional law scholar who served as the judge of the Constitutional Court of Russia from 2000 to 2020.
Nikolay Nikolayevich Benardos (Russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Бенардо́с, Ukrainian: Микола Миколайович Бенардо́с; 1842–1905) was a Russian inventor of Greek descent who in 1881 introduced carbon arc welding, which was the first practical arc welding method.
Nikolay Vladimirovich Kolyada (Russian: Николай Владимирович Коляда; also transliterated as Nikolai Koliada; 4 December 1957 – 2 March 2026) was a Russian actor, theatre director, writer, playwright, and teacher. Theatre critic John Freedman named Kolyada as one of several dramatists and directors who might be designated as "fathers" or "mothers" of Russia's contemporary theatre movement.