A 1970s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Nickole since 1966
Babies named Nickole per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1986, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Nickole's real moment was 1978.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 59 |
| 1970s | 780 |
| 1980s | 760 |
| 1990s | 488 |
| 2000s | 277 |
| 2010s | 163 |
| 2020s | 15 |
Meaning & origin
Nickole is a modern respelling of the classic Nicole, which itself is the French feminine form of Nicholas, from the Greek Nikolaos, meaning 'victory of the people.' The name first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1966, a relatively late emergence compared to its root names. It saw its peak popularity in 1978, yet even then it never entered the top 1,000. After a decline, the name has been on a rising trajectory since 2022, indicating a potential revival among parents seeking a distinctive spelling. However, its overall rarity means that in the most recent year with available data (2025), there were too few births to calculate a rank or a one-in-N frequency. Nickole's trajectory is especially interesting because it is rising after a long period of obscurity, and it remains strongly tied to the 1970s, though it is being rediscovered in the 2020s.
Nickole emerged in the mid-20th century as a respelled variant of Nicole, itself the French feminine form of Nicholas. The spelling may reflect a desire for distinctiveness or phonetic transparency. While rare overall, it saw modest use in the late 1970s, with a peak in 1978, and has been rising again since 2022.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Nicki, Nikki, Cole, Nicky
Sibling names for Nickole
Names that share Nickole's style, for a brother or sister.
