nicholai/ nicholae

tct1219 · July 2009

i love the name nicholai/ nicholae but it has so many different variants:

nickolai

nickolae

nikolai

nikolae

nicolai

nicolae

and maybe more. the problem is [we might use it for a middle name] i hate the nickname nico so the last 4 spellings i don't like. i prefer nicholai or nicholae [with a K it looks off to me] but since there are so many spellings i would like to use the one most people would first think of.

if our son [or daughter, but more likely a son] chose to go by this name, i'd want it to be as easy to spell as possible.

which spelling appears to be most common/ most frequently used?

or which one looks the best, in your opinion?

thanks!

mrs_tacos · July 2009

tct1219:
which spelling appears to be most common/ most frequently used?

I can't say that any of them seem common or frequently used to me. I've never heard of any one with this name. However, I like the look of the last two best and think they seem simplest.

GulfCoaster · July 2009

I like Nikolai best, and Nicolai second.

If you don't like the nickname Nico, the Russian nickname for Nikolai is "Kolya." (Well, it's the most common nickname, anyway.)

tct1219 · July 2009

GulfCoaster:
I like Nikolai best, and Nicolai second.

If you don't like the nickname Nico, the Russian nickname for Nikolai is "Kolya." (Well, it's the most common nickname, anyway.)

thank you for that information! it's one of the only sort of russian names i love and we may be adopting a russian boy soon so i'd like to have a backup middle name in case his russian name is too confusing.

weddedwife · July 2009

I think Nikolai is most common. My cousin's son is named Nikolai and they call him Nik.

groovygrl · July 2009

ditto nikolai.

I would definitely not do the ae ending, as many people would pronounce that like a hard A (eg alumni vs alumnae).?

Rory419 · July 2009

Nikolai (spelled that way) is in our top three boys names!!! I love that name...but it is tough because my favorite girl name is Lorelai and I would hate to give that name up for a second child if my first is a boy...could you imagine Lorelai and Nikolai?

mrsn1025 · July 2009

nikolai or nicholai are normal to me and i think its a really cool name. i would call him nick for short. nicholae looks phonetically wrong (like it should end like the word algae).

my great grandpa's name was nicholangelo, which I have yet to see in a baby name book and DH loves it...I think its a little too weird for me.

GulfCoaster · July 2009

tct1219:
GulfCoaster:

I like Nikolai best, and Nicolai second.

If you don't like the nickname Nico, the Russian nickname for Nikolai is "Kolya." (Well, it's the most common nickname, anyway.)

thank you for that information! it's one of the only sort of russian names i love and we may be adopting a russian boy soon so i'd like to have a backup middle name in case his russian name is too confusing.

I love Russian names and am happy to share any knowledge about them with you! Unfortunately for me, nearly all Russian names sound wrong with our last name.

kegallagh · July 2009

GulfCoaster:
I like Nikolai best, and Nicolai second.

If you don't like the nickname Nico, the Russian nickname for Nikolai is "Kolya." (Well, it's the most common nickname, anyway.)

This. And I think Kolya is adorable.