GENDER: The name Nicholas is masculine although Nicole and Nikki are feminine forms of Nicholas

PRONUNCIATION: (Nik oe las) (Nik e lis)

ETYMOLOGY: Nicholas is Greek for victory of the people, or as some others say, power of the people. Nike meaning victory and Laus meaning people.

===ORIGIN & HISTORY===
One of the first, most well know and loved Nicholas was Saint Nicholas, most well known as Santa Claus. Nicholas was born during the third century in a village called Patara, an area that was Greek but now is along the southern coast of Turkey. Nicholas' wealthy, Christian parents died when they were still quite young. Following Jesus command to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor", Nicholas used all of his money to help those who were poor and needy. Nicholas dedicated the rest of his life to God and became Bishop of Myra. Bishop Nicholas was put in prison for his faith but was finally released around AD 325. Nicholas died on December 6, AD 343 in Myra. The anniversary of his death (December 6) is now a day of celebration, called "St. Nicholas Day"

===POPULARITY===
In 1990, the name of Nicholas started becoming quite popular in the United States, becoming number 14. The next few years, the name began slowly rising toward the top until, finally, in 1995, it became number 6. Nicholas was the 6th most popular from 1995 - 2001. Last year, the year of 2007, the name was ranked the 5th most popular name of newborn baby boys.

===FACTS===
- Santa Claus, the most beloved Nicholas, died on December 6th, a day that is now celebrated and named "Saint Nicholas Day"
- Prince Nicholas of Belgium was born grandson of King Albert II on December 13, 2005
- Nicholas-Alexandre, marquis de Sgur, born in 1695 in France, made Bordeaux wine and was therefore called "Prince of the Vines"
- Le petit Nicholas (Little Nicholas) is a seiries of French childrens books written by Ren Goscinny about a boy named Nicholas
- Adolfo Nicols is a Spanish priest of the Roman Catholic Church

===NAMESAKES===
- Nicholas is a French wine retailer. The first stores opened in Pairs, France in 1822. The French stores have grown and now have over 400 branches in France.
- "Nicholas Nickleby", by Charles Dickens is a novel about a young man who has to supports his mother and sister after his father dies.
- The book series, "Le petit Nicholas" (Little Nicholas), tells the story of a young boy, named Nicholas, who lives in the 1950's. New, English versions of the French books were published in 2005 by Phaidon Press and renamed, Nicholas.

===FAMOUS PERSONS===
- Nicholas Cage: Academy Award winning American actor. Born January 7, 1964.
- Nicholas Poussin: French painter. Born June 15, 1594. Died November 19, 1665.
- Nicholas Roeg: English cinematographer and film director. Born August 15, 1928.
- Nicholas Oudec: French former professional soccer player. Born October 28, 1971

===NAME VARIANTS===
There are many different variations of the name Nicholas. Listed here are some of the most popular.

MASCULINE VARIATIONS
- Nicolaas, Dutch for victorious army
- Nikolas, Slavic for victorious or conquerer of the people
- Nicholaus, another Greek variation of Nicholas
- Nick, more popular form of Nicholas
- Nicky, a variation of Nicholas that could be feminine or masculine

FEMINE VARIATIONS
- Clasina, a feminine variant of Nicholas, very classic, not very popular
- Nicole, a girl's name meaning victory of the people, like Nicholas
- Nicol, a unisex name, same meaning as Nicole
- Nicola, feminine, same meaning as Nicole
- Nicky, a variation of Nicholas that could be feminine or masculine

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