Surname Nikolayenko - Meaning and Origin

Nikolayenko: What does the surname Nikolayenko mean?

The last name Nikolayenko is a patronymic last name meaning 'son of Nikolay.' Nikolay is a Russian name derived from the Greek name 'Nicholas,' which is derived from the name Nicholaos meaning 'victor of the people.' This last name is common among the Slavic people of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and parts of Serbia.

Nikolayenko is an old, aristocratic, noble name, now common among the peasantry in Eastern Europe. It is believed that bearers of the surname Nikolayenko have historical connections to those of the powerful ruling class of the early Russian Empire whose name originated from a variety of sources, one of which could be from the ruling Soviets in the 18th century. It is also possible that the name is derived from the old Slavic word ‘Nikola', meaning ‘victory of the people'.

This last name is still shared among families in many countries, mostly Eastern European countries, though it is also gaining more followers in other countries such as the United States. Nikolayenko is a common last name, and it is often seen in combination with the last name of the mother. As the current generations move to other countries, this last name is now becoming a way to connect with family heritage, history, and culture.

Nikolayenko: Where does the name Nikolayenko come from?

Nikolayenko is a mainly Slavic last name derived from two elements: "Nikolay" which is a Russian/Ukrainian form of “Nicholas”, and the diminutive suffix -enko. As a result, it's quite common in countries like Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. It's also been found in various Russian-speaking countries and other areas of former Soviet Union.

Within Russia and Ukraine, Nikolayenko is one of the most popular surnames, the 883rd most common in Russia according to one source, and the 524th in Ukraine. In former Soviet republics such as Latvia, Estonia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, it is also quite popular, and can be found in countries such as Belarus, Bulgaria, and even Romania. In the U.S., it is less common but still prevalent enough for statistical tracking, ranking #40,607 in 2019, according to the United States Census Bureau.

In Canada, it is also becoming increasingly more common, especially among immigrants from Ukraine and Russia, as it was ranked #50,129 out of 94,999 surnames in 2018.

Overall, the last name Nikolayenko is quite common throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union as well as the United States and Canada, indicating that the surname is deeply tied to its historical homeland. It can serve as a good reminder of how much of a lasting impact the former Soviet Union has had on the world, as this surname persists and continues to travel in spite of political changes.

Variations of the surname Nikolayenko

The surname Nikolayenko is a patronymic derived from the personal name Nikolay which is a variation of the name Nicholas meaning ‘victory of the people’ in Greek. There are several variants of the surname itself, including Nikolayenko, Nikolayenka, Nikolayenko, and Nikolayenka.

The Russian version of the surname, Nikolayev, also features some variations, and these include Nikolayevich, Nikolayevna, Nikolayevskaya, Nikolayevykh, Nikolayevsky, Nikolayeva, Nikolayevskoy, and Nikolayevskaya.

The Ukrainian variant of the surname, Mykolaioenkovych, is also popular in Russia and Ukraine and its variations include Mykolaioenko, Mykolaieenkovych, Mykolaienkova, Mykolaieenkowych, Mykolaieenko, Mykolaienkove, Mykolaieenkov, Mykolaieenkovytsh, Mykolaieenkova, and Mykolaieenko.

In Belarus, the surname Nikolayenko is also widespread and often takes the form of Nikolayenka, Nikolayenka, Nikolayenchik, Nikolayenka, Nikolayenka, Nikolayenka, Nikolayenkova, Nikolayenkova, and Nikolayenka.

The Czech spelling Nikolayenko is spelled Němeček, and in Polish

Famous people with the name Nikolayenko

• Serhiy Nikolayenko: a Ukrainian politician and a member of Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) since 2014. He is also a former minister of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons.
• Yakiv Nikolayenko: a Ukrainian Communist Party leader, former head of the Communist Party’s Cherkasy oblast committee.
• Oleksandr Nikolayenko: a prominent Ukrainian poet, and a one of the most famous writers in Ukrainian literature, whose works cover almost every genre of poetry.
• Yaroslav Nikolayenko: an award-winning Ukrainian writer, screenwriter and scriptwriter who has written more than 200 literary works, including novels, plays, short stories and essays.
• Viktor Nikolayenko: a renowned Ukrainian actor, best known for his television roles in "I Love You" and "Kamenskiy."
• Andriy Nikolayenko: a Ukrainian ice hockey forward who played for several clubs in the Ukrainian Championship, as well as for the Ukraine national team.
• Mykola Nikolayenko: a Ukrainian futsal player who played for the Ukrainian futsal team at the World Championship and European Championship tournaments.
• Pavlo Nikolayenko: a Ukrainian engineer, economist and professor, known for his work in the field of computer-aided design and engineering informatics.
• Oleksiy Nikolayenko: a Ukrainian athlete, winner of silver medal in the Hammer Throw at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
• Valeriy Nikolayenko: a Ukrainian chess master, known as the creator of the chess opening "Nikolayenko Defense."

Other surnames

Nikolayev