Boy · #1,376 in 2026

Nick

Name: Popularity of the name Nick in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Nick, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Nick is a masculine given name. It is most often encountered as a short form (hypocorism) of the given names Nicholas, Nicola, Nicolas, Nikola, Nicolai or Nicodemus, but also is used as a short form of Dominick. It may refer to:

Current Rank

#1,376

Peak Rank

#173 (1960)

Total Babies

51K

5-Yr Trend

+3%

1916

First Year

1981

Last Year

1924

Peak Year

#3665

Peak Rank

132

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Nick

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Nick

Nick first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 40 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1960, when 1,099 Nicks were born — ranking #242 that year. As of 2026, Nick ranks #1,376 for baby boys with 138 births, holding steady (+3%). In total, more than 51K Nicks have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Nick

Phonetically similar names — useful when Nick is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Nic
Nik
Knick
Nek
Nyk
Knic
Nicc
Neck
Kneck
Nuck
Nec
Knuck

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nick

What does the name Nick mean?

How popular is Nick in 2026?

In 2026, Nick ranks #1,376 among boys' names in the U.S., with 138 babies given the name that year.

When was Nick most popular?

Nick reached its peak popularity in 1960, ranking #173 that year with 1,099 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Nick most popular?

Nick has historically been most popular in Alaska, Wyoming, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Nick.

Is Nick a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Nick is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Nick?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Nick include Pete, Forrest, Tucker. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Nick

Nick is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 51K births in the dataset. Nick's peak popularity came in 1960 when it ranked #173. Use the chart and map above to compare Nick's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.