Mikolaj, of Polish origin, is derived from the Latin 'Nicolaus', which means 'victory of the people'. It gained popularity during the Middle Ages due to Saint Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus in some cultures. Mikolaj is composed of two elements: 'mic' meaning 'who is?' or 'who?', and 'law' meaning 'people' or 'folk'. Thus, the name can be interpreted as 'who among the people?' or 'which person among the people?' The name has been historically associated with prominent figures such as Mikolaj Kopernik, better known as Nicolaus Copernicus, a renowned Polish mathematician and astronomer who is credited with proposing the heliocentric model of the universe.
The name Mikolaj saw a significant increase in popularity between 2004 and 2008, with the number of births peaking at 17 in both 2007 and 2008. However, since then, the number of babies named Mikolaj has fluctuated but generally remained lower, ranging from 5 to 13 births per year. The most recent data shows that there were 8 births in 2023.