I think
Nicola is amazing on a boy (reminds me of Tesla, coolest guy ever) but I'm not fond of it on a girl. I'm not even quite sure how I'm supposed to pronounce it when it's on a girl. Nih-COLE-uh sounds strange, but nee-coh-LA sounds so masculine.
I can't say why it never became popular in the US. Perhaps it wasn't heard of.
I've never met a
Nicola.
I know... four Nicoles, and I know several people who have
Nicole as a middle name.
I prefer
Nicola on both questions, though as I said, I'm not fond of it on a girl.
None of the Nicoles I know get called
Nicky /
Nikki. I don't anticipate it being a problem.
I went to preschool with a
Nicoletta. She was a snotty little rich girl :/
This message was edited 3/31/2009, 2:13 PM