Explore the Family Name Nikolaus

The meaning of Nikolaus

German: from a German form of the Latin personal name Nicolaus, Greek Nikolaos (see Nicholas). After Johann and Peter, Nikolaus was the third most popular personal name in medieval Germany.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Nikolaus has had a slight increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 42,289 and then rose slightly to 42,163 in 2010, marking a 0.3% change. The count of individuals with this surname also grew from 483 in 2000 to 515 in 2010, which is a 6.63% increase. However, the proportion per 100,000 people saw a slight decrease of -5.56%, going from 0.18 in 2000 to 0.17 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#42,289#42,1630.3%
Count4835156.63%
Proportion per 100k0.180.17-5.56%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nikolaus

When it comes to ethnic identity, the data gathered from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that most individuals with the surname Nikolaus identify as White. In 2000, 97.93% identified as White, which dropped slightly to 96.70% in 2010. There were no reported individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these years. Notably, there was a new emergence of individuals identifying as Hispanic in 2010, accounting for 2.14% of those with the Nikolaus surname.

20002010Change
White97.93%96.7%-1.26%
Hispanic0%2.14%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%