Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Nicholas” come from?

Nicholas comes from Middle English Nicholas, from Old French Nicholas, from Latin Nicolaus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος, composed of νίκη meaning victory and λαός meaning people.

Ancestry of “Nicholas”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishNicholas—
2Old FrenchNicholas—
3LatinNīcolāus—
4Ancient GreekΝικόλαοςNicolas
5Ancient Greekλᾱόςpeople; men; the people
6Proto-Helleniclāwós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂wospeople
8Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂-to bark, howl; to be concealed

Words derived from “Nicholas”

  • Coll
  • Nicholson
  • Nicola
  • Colson
  • Collard
  • Collet
  • Colle
  • Nickolas
  • Nicholine
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- →