Nicholas, Nickolas, Nikolas, Nikolaus or Nicolas is a male given name; Nicholas is also used as a surname. In the United States, Nicholas – and its variations – was the 17th most popular male name given to babies in 2006. Roughly 0.7% of the boys born that year, or 15,414, were given that name. It is decreasing in popularity, from a high in 1997, when 27,248 males in the United States were given the name Nicholas. That year was the most popular year for Nicholas since 1880, when U.S. records began to be kept for given names.