Nick
A form of Nikolaos
Nicholas, in English
The wonderworker of Myra — the bishop whose secret gift-giving gave rise to Santa Claus.
It keeps the same day as the name it comes from — everything below is that name’s.
Origin
The story of Nikolaos
The Church keeps 6 December for Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra — the bishop whose legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the folklore of Santa Claus, by way of the Dutch Sinterklaas.
The name is pure Greek and plainly hopeful: Νικόλαος, from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) and λαός (laós, “people”) — “the victory of the people.”
“The victory of the people.”
onomasti · NikolaosKey facts
Nikolaos at a glance
This name keeps more than one day. At least one of them is a movable feast — its date is set relative to Pascha (Orthodox Easter), which itself shifts each year, so that day changes from year to year. The remaining day (or days) are fixed calendar dates and do not move. onomasti computes the observed date for every year.
Variations
Forms & nicknames of the name
One name takes many forms — the formal, the everyday, the affectionate, and the spellings that travelled abroad. Each has its own page here, and all share the same day.
Greek forms
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Namesakes
Notable people named Nikolaos
Iconography
Nikolaos in sacred art
DepictingSt Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra
Images from Wikimedia Commons under free licences, credited to their source. We show a depiction only where the saint on this name’s day could be identified against our own recorded feast date — never a picture found by searching for the name.
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