Explore the Family Name Nikolas

The meaning of Nikolas

1. Greek: from the personal name Nikola(o)s (see Nicholas) or, in most cases, an (American) shortened form of any of various Greek derivatives of this personal name, e.g. Nikolaidis, Papanikolaou ‘(son of) Nicholas the Priest’, and Hatzinikolaou ‘(son of) Nicholas the Pilgrim’. See also Nicolas, compare Nickolas. 2. German: variant of Nikolaus. 3. Croatian and Serbian (Nikolaš): from a vernacular form of the personal name Nikola (see Nicholas). 4. Americanized form of any of various Serbian, Macedonian, or Bulgarian patronymics from the personal name Nikola ‘Nicholas’; see Nickolas, compare Nicolas.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Nikolas in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Nikolas has seen a slight drop in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. It moved from rank 60,706 to 62,903, representing a decrease of approximately 3.62%. However, the count of individuals with this surname rose by 2.58% over the same period, increasing from 310 in 2000 to 318 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people remained consistent at 0.11.

20002010Change
Rank#60,706#62,903-3.62%
Count3103182.58%
Proportion per 100k0.110.110%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nikolas

In terms of ethnic identity, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Nikolas was predominantly associated with individuals identifying as White, accounting for 91.94% in 2000 and 91.51% in 2010, a minor decrease of 0.47%. The proportion of individuals identifying as Hispanic saw a substantial increase from 2.26% in 2000 to 4.72% in 2010, an impressive growth of 108.85%. The proportion of those reporting two or more races declined by 31.89%, from 3.23% in 2000 to 2.20% in 2010. There were no recorded instances of the surname among individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these census years.

20002010Change
White91.94%91.51%-0.47%
Hispanic2.26%4.72%108.85%
Two or More Races3.23%2.2%-31.89%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%