Meaning & History
Nilas is a Sami form of Nils, which is itself a Scandinavian short form of Nicholas. The name Nicholas derives from the Greek Nikolaos, composed of the elements nike meaning "victory" and laos meaning "people," hence "victory of the people."
In Sami culture, borrowing and adapting names from neighboring Scandinavian languages is common, and Nilas represents one such adaptation. It is used in Sami-speaking regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
As a variant of Nicholas, the name shares in the rich historical and religious associations of its root. Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop from Anatolia, is venerated in Christian traditions and is the basis for Santa Claus. The name has been borne by five popes and two tsars of Russia.
- Meaning: Swedish/Sami form of Nicholas, "victory of the people"
- Origin: Sami (derived from Scandinavian Nils)
- Type: Given name (masculine)
- Usage Regions: Sápmi (Lapland), Norbotten/Västerbotten (Sweden), Finnmark (Norway)
Related Names
Variants
Other Languages & Cultures
(Albanian)
Nikollë (German)
Nicolaus (Greek)
Nikolaos (Slovene)
Nikola 1 (Belarusian)
Mikalai, Mikalay, Mikola (Russian)
Nikolai, Nikolay (Portuguese)
Nicolau (Serbian)
Nikica (Slovene)
Niko (Croatian)
Nikša (Slovak)
Mikuláš (Czech)
Mikoláš, Mikula (Norwegian)
Nicolai (Swedish)
Niklas (Slovene)
Nikolaj (German)
Claus (Norwegian)
Klaus (Danish)
Nels (Swedish)
Nicklas, Niclas (Danish)
Niels 1 (Swedish)
Nils (Danish)
Nis (Dutch)
Nicolaas (Low German)
Klaas (English)
Nick (Spanish)
Nico (Dutch)
Niek, Nikolaas (English)
Nicholas, Colin 2, Collin, Nic, Nickolas, Nicky (Slovene)
Nik (Greek)
Nikolas (Esperanto)
Nikolao, Niĉjo (Estonian)
Nigul (Finnish)
Niilo (French)
Nicolas (Frisian)
Kai 1, Klaes (Georgian)
Nikoloz, Nika 3, Nikusha (German)
Nikolaus, Nickolaus (German (Swiss))
Niklaus (Greek)
Nicolaos, Nikos (Hungarian)
Miklós, Nikolasz, Kolos, Miksa (Irish)
Nioclás (Italian)
Niccolò, Nicola 1, Nicolao, Nicolino, Nicolò (Latvian)
Nikolajs, Klāvs, Niklāvs, Niks (Limburgish)
Klaos (Macedonian)
Nikolče, Nikolche (Maori)
Nikora (Medieval English)
Nichol (Scottish)
Nicol 1 (Medieval English)
Col (Polish)
Mikołaj (Romanian)
Nicolae, Neculai, Nicu, Nicușor (Russian)
Kolya (Scottish Gaelic)
Neacel (Slovene)
Miklavž (Spanish)
Nicolás (Swedish)
Claes, Clas, Klas (Ukrainian)
Mykola