Nicholas

Nicholas is an English given name derived from the Greek Nikolaos, composed of the elements nike, meaning victory, and laos, meaning people, yielding the sense people's victory or victory of the people. The name was borne by Saint Nicholas of Myra, a fourth-century bishop whose legendary generosity gave rise to the figure of Santa Claus, making Nicholas one of the most widely used names in the Christian world throughout the medieval period. It was introduced to England by the Normans and remained consistently popular through the centuries. Related forms include Nicolas, Nikolaus, Nikolai, Nikolas, and the short forms Nick and Nico, as well as the feminine variant Nicole.