Victory of the people
Derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, it combines 'nike' (victory) and 'laos' (people). This Latinized spelling was famously borne by the astronomer Copernicus and remains a formal, scholarly alternative to the more common Nicholas.
Less common today
Nicolaus isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #1,880 in 1995.
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
Renaissance astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model
German engineer who developed the internal combustion engine
Danish-German organist and composer
German Protestant Reformer and theologian
