Nico Overview
- Meaning: Nico means “victory of the people” in Greek and sometimes also means “daylight.”
- Gender: Nico is a unisex name but is overwhelmingly more common for boys than girls.
- Origin: Nico is used throughout Europe but is considered an Italian short form of Niccolo (Nicholas). Although its origins are Greek, when spelled Niko, it’s a well-known Finnish name.
- Pronunciation: Nico is pronounced “NEE-Kow” in English, Italian, Dutch, and Finnish.
- Popularity: Nico has become a more popular name in recent years. It has ranked among the top 500 U.S. boys’ names and entered the top 1,000 names for boys in the U.S. in 2000.
- Nicknames: Coco, Iko, Nee, Neeno, Nees, Nic, Nick, Nicki, Nicky, Nicoli, Nikki, Nini, Nino, Nix, Nono.
- Variations: Neeco, Neeko, Neiko, Neyko, Nic, Nick, Niek, Nieko, Nik, Nikko, Niko, Nikos.
- Namesakes: Nico Tortorella, American actor known for “Scream 4.” Nico Verhoeven, Dutch cyclist who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
What Does Nico Mean?
Nico is an Italian name that means “victory of the people” in Greek and can also mean “people of victory” and “daylight.” It’s a short form of the Greek Nikolaos and is composed of “nike,” meaning “victory,” and “laos,” meaning “people.”
What Is the Origin of the Name Nico?
Nico is the nickname for most forms of Nicholas, including the Italian Niccolo and Dominic. As a unisex name, it’s also short for girl’s names like Nicola and Nicole. It’s linked to Nicodemus, meaning “victory of the people.”
Nico is well-known in Italy, the Netherlands, and many Spanish-speaking countries. The alternate spellings of Niko and Nikko are common in Slavic cultures, Germany, and Finland.
Nico derives from the Greek name Nikolaus, the first form of Nicholas. It’s inspired by Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, who is associated with strength and speed. The 4th–century bishop St. Nicholas was the patron saint of Russia and Greece. He’s also been known as St. Nick or Santa Claus for kids worldwide.
How Popular Is the Name Nico?
In the U.S., Nico became a top 1,000 boys’ name in 2000 and rose among the top 500 boys’ names in 2021. It ranked 259th for U.S. boys in recent years, yet doesn’t rank in the top 4,000 names for American girls. In 2021, just 35 U.S. girls were named Nico.
Nico is a short variant of Nicholas, ranking in the top 10 U.S. boys’ names from 1993 to 2002. It currently ranks 98th for U.S. boys as recently as 2022.
Nico is a common unisex name everywhere, from England, Germany, and France to Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Holland. It peaked in 2018 worldwide when it ranked 382nd for boys. As with the U.S., Nico and Niko are much more popular for boys than girls.
How Do I Pronounce Nico?
Nico is pronounced “NIY-Kow” in most languages in which it appears.
Is Nico a Boy or Girl Name?
Nico is a unisex name, but it is much more commonly used for boys as a short form of Nicholas.
Variations of Nico
There are many spelling choices when it comes to variations for Nico variations.
- Neeco (Italian)
- Neeko (Greek)
- Neiko (Japanese)
- Neyko (Bulgarian)
- Nic (English)
- Nick (English)
- Niek (Dutch)
- Nieko (Finnish)
- Nik (Greek)
- Nikko (Finnish)
- Niko (German, Slavic)
- Nikos (Greek)
Nicknames for Nico
You can locate many fun nicknames for Nico based on the name Nicholas.
- Coco
- Iko
- Nee
- Neeno
- Nees
- Nic
- Nick
- Nicki
- Nicky
- Nicoli
- Nikki
- Nini
- Nino
- Nix
- Nono
Similar Names to Nico
If you’re a fan of Nico, you’ll love these similar-sounding names for boys and girls.
- Annika
- Enzo
- Kai
- Leo
- Liam
- Luca
- Max
- Micah
- Miles
- Milo
- Nina
- Noah
- Phoenix
- Rio
- Rocco
- Rowan
- Sage
- Shiloh
- Theo
- Zeke
Middle Names for Nico
Your little Nico can enjoy these iconic middle names to go along with his or her first name.
- Alexander
- Anthony
- Augustus
- Cyrus
- Damien
- Donovan
- Emmanuel
- Evander
- Gabriel
- Julian
- Leander
- Lysander
- Pierce
- Rafael
- Sebastian
- Solomon
- Soren
- Tobias
- Xavier
- Zachary
Sibling Names for Nico
Many of these sibling names for Nico come from the ancient classical world.
- Agatha
- Alessandra
- Angelo
- Aurelio
- Cameo
- Chiara
- Felix
- Francesca
- Ivan
- Jonas
- Kyla
- Luka
- Nilda
- Noelle
- Remy
- Rex
- Romeo
- Romy
- Sidney
- Sion
Famous People Named Nico
These men and women named Nico managed to do a lot with their lives.
- Nico Aaltonen: Finnish ice hockey player.
- Nico Archambault: Canadian dancer.
- Nico Assumpção: Brazilian bass player.
- Nico Beyer: German film director.
- Nico Boje: South African cricketer.
- Nico Braun: Luxembourgian footballer.
- Nico Brüngger: Swiss cyclist.
- Nico Casavecchia: Argentine director.
- Nico (Christa Päffgen): Singer with The Velvet Underground.
- Nico de Haas: Dutch photographer.
- Nico Dijkshoorn: Dutch writer.
- Nico Freriks: Dutch volleyball player.
- Nico Frijda: Dutch psychologist.
- Nico Frommer: German footballer.
- Nico Habermann: Dutch computer scientist.
- Nico Hambro: Norwegian politician.
- Nico Kasanda: Congo guitarist.
- Nico Pepe: Italian actor.
- Nico Perrone: Italian journalist.
- Nico Pulzetti: Italian footballer.
Nico in Popular Culture
You’ll find that characters named Nico pop up all over the place.
- NiCO: Character in the Dead or Alive video game series.
- Nico: Yellow canary in the 2011 animated film “Rio.”
- Nico Blake: Female character in the English soap opera “Hollyoaks.”
- Nico Collard: Character in the Broken Sword series of adventure games.
- Nico di Angelo: Son of Hades in a book series by Rick Riordan.
- Nico Kanna: Character appearing in the spinoff manga of “Puella Magi Madoka Magica.”
- Nico Kim: Surgeon character in the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy.”
- Nico Minoru: Known as “Sister Grimm” in the comic book “Runaways.”
- Nico Reilly: Character in the TV series “Lipstick Jungle.”
- Nico Robin: Character appearing in the manga series “One Piece.”
- Nico Saiba: Character in the TV series “Kamen Rider Ex-Aid.”
- Nico Slater: Character from the TV series “Ugly Betty.”
- Nico Toscani: Character in the 1988 film “Above the Law.”
- Nico von Lahnstein: Character in the German soap opera “Verbotene Liebe.”
- Nico Yazawa: Character in the mixed media “Love Live! School Idol Project.”
Nico FAQs
There are many more things to learn about the unisex name Nico.
What Does Nico Mean in the Bible?
Nico doesn’t appear directly in the Bible, but forms of it do. As it means “victory” in Greek and refers to “the laity” or “people,” it can denote “conquerors of the lay people.” In the Bible, the figure of Balaam is sometimes viewed as a Hebrew translation of the Greek Nikolaos. It then relates to the short form of Nico or Niko.
What Religion Is Nikko?
When Nico is spelled Nikko, it becomes linked to the Japanese Shinto religion. In Shintoism, temples called Nikko are religious structures containing Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. They are traditionally situated in an outdoor natural setting.
One of the most famous Nikko shrines is Nikkō Tōshō-gū, also located in Nikkō, Japan. It’s considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site and includes 42 structures.
