Nicola (name)

Nicola is a Latinised version of a Greek male personal name (from the Greek Νικόλαος) derived from Nikos meaning "victory," and laos meaning "people," therefore implying the meaning "winner of the people." The English form of the same name is Nicholas. Nicola was a frequently given male personal name among the traditional Italian nobility, and was used often in the Middle Ages.

In the UK and Germany, the male form Nicola has been used as a female name, which originally came from incorrectly presuming the name's vowel ending 'a' was the female form, as has also occurred with the male given name Andrea (also an Italian male personal name from the Greek meaning 'manly.') The female form of Nicola in Italian is Nicoletta. An excellent reference for the name form and biblical history is The Golden Legend or Lives of the Saints. Compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, 1275. First Edition Published 1470.

Name days

• March 21 and September 10 (Hungary)
• August 29 (Slovakia)
• November 20 (Czech Republic)
• December 6 (Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland)

People with the name

Music

• Nicola Benedetti, Scottish classic violinist
• Nicola Conte, Italian DJ and producer
• Nicola Luisotti, Italian musician
• Nicola Piovani, classical musician
• Nicola Roberts, British popstar, member of Girls Aloud

Sports

• Nicola Amoruso, Italian football player
• Nicola Berti, Italian football player
• Nicola Boem, Italian road cyclist
• Nicola Fairbrother, British judoka
• Nicola Larini, racing driver
• Nicola Legrottaglie, Italian football player
• Nicola Pozzi, Italian football player
• Nicola Rizzoli, Italian football referee
• Nicola Smith, English bridge player
• Nicola Smith (footballer), New Zealand football player

Arts

• Nicola Filippo, American artist
• Nicola Griffith, a British author
• Nicola Mar, American fashion model
• Nicola Pagett, English actress
• Nicola Peltz, American child actress
• Nicola Pisano, Italian sculptor
• Nicolà Rescigno, opera conductor
• Nicola Tappenden (born 1982), British glamour model

Other

• Chief Nicola, important First Nations political figure in the fur trade era of British Columbia, Canada
• Nicola Calipari, Italian military intelligence officer with the rank of major general
• Nick Licata (mobster), Italian-American mobster
• Nicola Sacco, Italian-American anarchist
• Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish First Minister
• Nicola King, fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale

People with the surname

• Carlos Nicola (born 1973), Uruguayan former footballer
• Davide Nicola (born 1973), Italian football manager and retired player
• Enrico De Nicola (1877-1959), Italian jurist, journalist, politician and provisional Head of State of republican Italy from 1946 to 1948
• Isaac Nicola (1916-1997), Cuban guitarist
• Lewis Nicola, author of the Newburgh letter
• Marcelo Nicola (born 1971), Argentine-Italian basketball coach and retired player