Niko

Niko is a short, lit-from-within name with passports in several countries, a Greek, Finnish, and Slavic diminutive of Nikolaos, meaning victory of the people. Two syllables, NEE-ko, brisk and bright. It has gained steadily in American usage as parents reach for crisp, international nicknames that can stand alone, part of the same wave that has lifted Leo and Theo. The name feels modern without being invented, rooted in the ancient Greek nike, victory, while still sounding fresh on a playground. Niko reads athletic and artistic in equal measure, the kind of boy who draws on his sneakers and runs faster than the rest.