Nils

Nils is a Scandinavian contracted form of Nikolaus, itself derived from the ancient Greek name Nikolaos, composed of the elements nike, meaning victory, and laos, meaning people, giving the overall sense of victory of the people. The name became widely used across Sweden, Norway, and Denmark as the everyday vernacular equivalent of the Latin Nicolaus brought by Christianity. The beloved fictional character Nils Holgersson, the boy who flies across Sweden on a goose in Selma Lagerlöf's classic 1906 novel, has kept the name firmly embedded in Scandinavian cultural imagination. Related forms include Niels in Danish, Niklas and Nikolaj in other Scandinavian and Germanic traditions, and Nicholas in English.