Niels is a male given name, equivalent to

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...

, which is common in Denmark,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is

Nils Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas. People and animals with the given name * Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player *Nils Björk (1898–1989) ...

. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nicolaos after

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

. Its pet form is Nisse, and female variants are Nielsine, Nielsina, and Nielsa. Niels may refer to:

People

Niels, King of Denmark Niels ( la, Nicolaus, English exonym Nicholas; – 25 June 1134) was the King of Denmark from 1104 to 1134. Niels succeeded his brother Eric Evergood and is presumed to have been the youngest son of King Sweyn II Estridson. King Niels actively ...

(1065–1134) *

Niels, Count of Halland Niels Valdemarsen, Count of Halland, ''Nikolaus'', (died 1218) was Count of Halland from 1216 until his death in 1218. He was a natural son of King Valdemar II of Denmark by an unknown mistress. In 1217, Niels married Oda of Schwerin, a daughter ...

(died 1218) * Niels Aagaard (1612–1657), Danish poet *

Niels Aall Niels Aall (1 December 1769 – 23 October 1854) was a Norwegian estate owner, businessman and politician. Family Niels Aall was the son of lumber merchant Nicolai Benjamin Aall (1739–98) from Porsgrunn and his wife Amjørg Jørgensdatter ...

(1769–1854), Norwegian businessman and politician *

Niels Henrik Abel Niels Henrik Abel ( , ; 5 August 1802 – 6 April 1829) was a Norwegian mathematician who made pioneering contributions in a variety of fields. His most famous single result is the first complete proof demonstrating the impossibility of solvin ...

(1802–1829), Norwegian mathematician *

Niels Arestrup Niels Arestrup (; born 8 February 1949) is a French-Danish actor, film director and screenwriter. He has won three César Awards. Biography Arestrup was born in Paris into a family of modest means; his father was Danish and his mother was Br ...

(born 1949), French actor *

Niels Viggo Bentzon Niels Viggo Bentzon (Copenhagen, 24 August 1919 – Copenhagen, 25 April 2000) was a Danish composer and pianist. Biography Bentzon was the son of Viggo Bentzon (1861-1937), Rector of Copenhagen University and Karen Hartmann (1882-1977), con ...

(1919–2000), Danish composer and pianist *

Niels Bohr Niels Henrik David Bohr (; 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962) was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. B ...

(1885–1962), Danish physicist and Nobel Prize recipient *

Niels Busk Niels Busk (born 2 August 1942 in Vadum) is a Politics of Denmark, Danish politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Venstre (Denmark), Venstre, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on the European Parli ...

(born 1942), Danish politician *

Niels Ebbesen Niels Ebbesen (1308 – 21 November 1340) was a Danish squire and national hero, known for his killing of Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg in 1340. From 1332 to 1340, Count Gerhard was the lord of both Jutland and Funen. His death meant ...

(died 1340), Danish squire and national hero *

Niels Feijen Niels Feijen (born 3 February 1977, The Hague) is a Dutch professional pool player, from the Hague. His nickname is "the Terminator". In 2014 he won the WPA World 9-ball championship. Career In 2001, Feijen reached the finals of a nine-ball t ...

(born 1977), Dutch pool player * Niels Ferguson (born 1965), Dutch cryptographer *

Niels Friis Niels Friis (died 1508) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Viborg (1498–1508).

(died 1508), Roman Catholic prelate and bishop of Viborg, succeeding Niels Glob *

Niels Gade Niels Wilhelm Gade (22 February 1817 – 21 December 1890) was a Danish composer, conductor, violinist, organist and teacher. Together with Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann, he was the leading Danish musician of his day. Biography Gade was born ...

(1817–1890), Danish musician *

Niels Glob Niels Glob was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Viborg (1478–1498)."Bisho ...

, Roman Catholic prelate and bishop of Viborg (1478–1498) *

Niels Giffey Niels Giffey (born 8 June 1991) is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions. He also represents the ...

(born 1991), German basketball player *

Niels Hansen Jacobsen Niels Hansen Jacobsen (September 10, 1861 – November 26, 1941) was a Danish sculptor and ceramist. He is most famous for creating the once controversial sculpture, '' Trold, der vejrer kristenblod''. The name of the statue is taken from a ...

(1861–1941), Danish sculptor *

Niels Helveg Petersen Niels Lolk Helveg Petersen (; informally Niels Helveg; 17 January 1939 – 3 June 2017) was a Danish politician. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 2000, having previously held the role of Minister for Economic Affairs between 1988 ...

(1939–2017), Danish politician *

Niels Hemmingsen Niels Hemmingsen (''Nicolaus Hemmingius'') (May/June 1513 – 23 May 1600) was a 16th-century Danish Lutheran theologian. He was pastor of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Copenhagen and professor at the University of Copenhagen. Biography Bo ...

(1513–1600), Danish theologian *

Niels Holst-Sørensen Niels Holst-Sørensen (born 19 December 1922) is a Danish former athlete and air force officer and centenarian. He served as the commander-in-chief of the Royal Danish Air Force in 1970–1982 and Denmark's military representative to NATO in 198 ...

(born 1922), Danish athlete and general *

Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp (March 25, 1646 – August 16, 1723) was a Swedish soldier and Governor-General of Swedish Estonia from 1706 to 1709. He was born with the family name Brattman which was ennobled to Strömberg in 1674, and after ...

(1646–1723), Swedish soldier and politician *

Niels Juel Niels Juel (8 May 1629 – 8 April 1697) was a Danish admiral and a naval hero. He served as supreme command of the Dano-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, ...

(1629–1697), Danish admiral *

Niels Christian Kaldau Niels Christian Kaldau (born 22 December 1974) is a male badminton player from Denmark. Career Kaldau won the Portuguese Badminton Champs in 1998, 2002 and 2003, the German Open in 2002, the Bitburger Open The Hylo Open, formerly known as t ...

(born 1974), Danish badminton player *

Niels Kaas Niels Kaas (1535 – 29 June 1594) was a Danish politician who served as Chancellor of Denmark from 1573 until his death. He was influential in the negotiation of the Peace of Stettin and in the upbringing of Christian IV. Kaas also played an i ...

(1535–1594), Danish politician *

Niels Kaj Jerne Niels Kaj Jerne, FRS (23 December 1911 – 7 October 1994) was a Danish immunologist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984 with Georges J. F. Köhler and César Milstein "for theories concerning the specificity in dev ...

(1911–1994), Danish immunologist and Nobel Prize recipient *

Niels Krabbe Niels Kaare Krabbe (born 1 July 1951) is an ornithologist and bird conservation movement, conservationist for many years based at the Vertebrate Department of the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and tutored by Jon Fjeldså. His research ...

(born 1951), Danish ornithologist *

Niels Lan Doky Niels Lan Doky (born 3 October 1963) is a Danish jazz pianist, composer and producer. He is the older brother of jazz bassist Chris Minh Doky. Biography He was born in Copenhagen of a Danish mother and Vietnamese father. His father worked as a ...

(born 1963), Danish jazz pianist *

Niels de Langen Niels de Langen (born 30 November 1998) is a Dutch para-alpine skier. He won two medals in alpine skiing at the 2022 Winter Paralympics. Early life De Langen was born in 1998 in Arnhem, Netherlands. In the first year of his life he lost his ...

(born 1998), Dutch para-alpine skier * Niels Lauritz Høyen (1798–1870), Danish art historian *

Niels Neergaard Niels Thomasius Neergaard (27 June 1854 – 2 September 1936) was a Danish historian and political figure, a member of the Liberal Moderate Venstre and since 1910 of Venstre. He served as Council President of Denmark between 1908 and 1909 as ...

(1854–1936), Danish historian and politician *

Niels Nikolaus Falck Niels Nikolaus Falck (25 November 1784 – 11 May 1850) was a Danish jurist and historian. Biography He was born at Emmerlef in the Duchy of Schleswig. He was educated at the University of Kiel and became a theological candidate in 1808, gr ...

(1784 – 1850), Danish jurist and historian *

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...

(1946–2005), Danish jazz bassist *

Niels Ryberg Finsen Niels Ryberg Finsen (15 December 1860 – 24 September 1904) was a Faroese- Icelandic physician and scientist. In 1903, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology "in recognition of his contribution to the treatment of diseases, e ...

(1860–1904), Danish physician and Nobel Prize recipient *

Niels Schneider Niels Schneider (; born 18 June 1987) is a Franco-Canadian actor who has appeared in more than thirty films since 2007. Born in Paris, naturalized Canadian, Schneider moved to Montreal at the age of 9 to start his career doing voice-over jobs. ...

(born 1987), Canadian actor *Niels Steensen, also known as

Nicolas Steno Niels Steensen ( da, Niels Steensen; Latinized to ''Nicolaus Steno'' or ''Nicolaus Stenonius''; 1 January 1638 – 25 November 1686Niels Treschow Niels Nicolas Treschow (5 September 1751 – 22 September 1833) was a Norwegian philosopher, educator and politician. Biography Treschow was born in Strømsø, now part of Drammen in Buskerud. He was the son of Peter Treschow (1718-1773) ...

(1751–1833), Norwegian philosopher and politician *

Niels van den Berge Cornelis Niels van den Berge (born 28 December 1984 in Bad Honnef) is a Dutch politician. As a member of GreenLeft (GroenLinks) he was a temporary MP from 12 January to 11 March 2011, replacing Mariko Peters, who was on maternity leave. He focuse ...

(born 1984), Dutch politician *

Niels van der Zwan Cornelis Pieter "Niels" van der Zwan (born 25 June 1967 in Scheveningen, South Holland) is a former rower from the Netherlands, who competed for his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There he won the gold medal wit ...

(born 1967), Dutch rower * Niels van Steenis (born 1969), Dutch rower

People

See also