Niklaus is a masculine Slavic given name and surname. Niklaus comes from the Greek word nikolaos (νικόλαος), meaning victory of the people. It’s a variant of the likewise Greek-origin given name Nicholas.
The traditional short forms of this name are Nik and Klaus, being primarily used in Switzerland and Germany.
Notable people with the name include the following:
Given name
Niklaus Aeschbacher (1917 – 1995), Swiss composer and conductor
Niklaus Bütler (1786–1854), Swiss painter
Niklaus Dachselhofer (1595 – 1670), Swiss politician
Niklaus Franz von Bachmann (1740 – 1831), Swiss general
Niklaus Friedrich von Steiger (1729 – 1799), Swiss politician
Niklaus Gerber (1850 – 1914), Swiss dairy chemist
Niklaus Grunwald, American biologist and plant pathologist
Niklaus Brantschen (born 1937), Swiss Jesuit, Zen master
Niklaus Leuenberger (1615 – 1653), Swiss peasant
Niklaus Manuel Deutsch (c. 1484 – 1530), Swiss artist
Niklaus Meienberg (1940 – 1993), Swiss writer and investigative journalist
Niklaus Niggeler (1817 – 1872), Swiss politician
Niklaus Pfluger (born 1958), Swiss Catholic priest
Niklaus Riggenbach (1817 – 1899), Swiss inventor, engineer and locomotive builder Niklaus Schilling (1944 – 2016), Swiss film director, cinematographer, and screenwriter Niklaus Schurtenberger (born 1968), Swiss equestrian Niklaus Stump (1920 – 2005), Swiss cross-country and Nordic combined skier Niklaus Troxler (born 1947), Swiss graphic designer Niklaus Weckmann (c. 1481-1526), German sculptor Niklaus Wirth (born 1934), Swiss computer scientist
Middle name
Franz Niklaus König (1765–1832), Swiss painter
Surname
André Niklaus (born 1981), German decathlete
Stephan Niklaus (born 1958), Swiss decathlete
Mandy Niklaus (born 1956), East German fencer
Fictional characters
Brad Niklaus from Sunset Beach
Niklaus “Klaus” Mikaelson from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals
See also
Hans Niclaus
Nicklaus (name) Nikolaus (given name)