 | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɪkələs/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Greek |
| Meaning | Victory of the people |
| Other names | |
| Derived |
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| Related names | Miklós, Nicander, Nicanor, Niccolò, Nickolas, Nico, Nicol, Nicola, Nicolaas, Nicolae, Nicolao, Nicolas, Nicolau, Nicolay, Nicole, Nicolle, Nikita, Niklas, Nikola, Nikolai, Nikolaos, Nikolas, Nikolaus, Nikolla, Nikollë, Nikos |
Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek Νικόλαος, Nikolaos. It originally derived from a combination of two Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In turn, the name means "victory of the people."
The name has been widely used in countries with significant Christian populations, owing in part to the veneration of Saint Nicholas, which became increasingly prominent in Western Europe from the 11th century. Revered as a saint in many Christian denominations, the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican Churches all celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on December 6. In maritime regions throughout Europe, the name and its derivatives have been especially popular, as St Nicholas is considered the protector saint of seafarers. This remains particularly so in Greece, where St Nicholas is the patron saint of the Hellenic Navy.[1][2]
The name derives from the Ancient Greek: Νῑκόλᾱος, romanized: Nikólaos.[3] It is understood to mean 'victory of the people', being a compound of two Greek words, νίκη, nī́kē 'victory'[4] and λᾱός, lāós 'people'.[5] An ancient[5] paretymology (a false etymology) of the latter element, λᾱός, is that it originates from λᾶς, lâs (a contracted form of λᾶας, lâas), meaning 'stone' or 'rock'.[6] This is in reference to the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha from Greek mythology. As the sole survivors of a catastrophic deluge, they were able to repopulate the world by throwing stones behind them, over their shoulders, while they kept marching on. The stones formed men and women where they landed.
The name became popular through Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia, the inspiration for Santa Claus, but it predates said bishop by several centuries: the Athenian historian Thucydides for example, mentions that in the second year of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) between Sparta and Athens, the Spartans sent a delegation to the Persian king to ask for his help to fight the Athenians; a certain Nikolaos was one of the delegates.[7]
The customary English spelling Nicholas, using a ch, as though the word were spelled in Greek with a chi, first came into use in the 12th century and has been firmly established since the Reformation, although the spelling Nicolas is occasionally used.[citation needed]
In Scotland, until the late nineteenth century, fishing communities used Nicholas as a female name.[8][9]
Variations for males include:[10][11]
Female forms include:[10]