Nikolai
Nikolai is a male given name: 98% of people named Nikolai are men, and it is recorded as male in 10 of the 10 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 98% male / 2% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- Bulgaria, Belarus, Russia
- US births since 1880
- 6,787 male / 0 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Nikolai
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Nikolai," in English, "Guten Tag Nikolai," in German. Nikolai is a male given name: about 98% of people named Nikolai are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Nikolai,
German
Guten Tag Nikolai,
French
Bonjour Nikolai,
Spanish
Estimado/a Nikolai:
Chinese
Nikolai您好：
Japanese
Nikolai様
English
Hi Nikolai,
German
Hi Nikolai,
French
Salut Nikolai,
Spanish
Hola Nikolai,
Chinese
Nikolai你好：
Japanese
Nikolaiさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | common | man's name | 98% |
| Belarus | common | man's name | 98% |
| Russia | common | man's name | 98% |
| Ukraine | common | man's name | 98% |
| United States | common | man's name | 100% |
| Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Armenia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Estonia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Finland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
6,787 male · 0 female · 6,787 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nikolai a male or female name?
Nikolai is a male given name: 98% of people named Nikolai are men, and it is recorded as male in 10 of the 10 countries covered.
How do I address Nikolai in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Nikolai," in English, "Guten Tag Nikolai," in German. Nikolai is a male given name: about 98% of people named Nikolai are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Nikolai a unisex name?
Nikolai is not a unisex name: 98% of people named Nikolai are men. Nikolai leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Nikolai a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/nikolai (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_nikolai,
title = {Is Nikolai a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/nikolai},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}