Nickname help!
We want to name our baby Penelope but we can’t decide on a nickname? Help!
Christmas and the festive season are the inspiration behind many different baby names.
There are subtle names inspired by Christmas carols or even Christmas movies, and others that are unmistakably associated with the Yuletide season.
Our list of Christmas baby names includes monikers from around the world.
You’re bound to find something that’s right up your street.
After all, ’tis the damn season!
In this article: 📝
- What should I name my Christmas baby?
- What is a cute Christmas name for a girl?
- What’s a Christmas name for a boy?
- What are reindeer names for babies?
- Christmas angel names
- What is the best Christmas name?
What should I name my Christmas baby?
You probably recognize some of the frontrunners for the best Christmas names on our list.
We’re talking about the most famous Christmas names, taken from the US Top 1000, like Ivy, Eve, Stella, Natalie, Holly, Josephine, Mary, Lucia, and Angela for girls.
And for a baby boy? Theodore ranks highly on the list, along with Pax, Nicholas, Joseph, Christian, Christopher, Bennett, and Angel.
All these Christmas-themed names have strong associations with the peace and joy of the festive season.
🎅 You might also like: 20+ Christmas Pregnancy Announcement Ideas
Which name literally means “born on Christmas”?
How about the most traditional name for a child born on Christmas?
What better Christmas name could there be other than:
- Natasha: Meaning “born on Christmas Day” in Russian.
What are names that mean Christmas?
How about some good Christmas names that mean Christmas?
It doesn’t get much more festive than these Christmas-inspired names:
- Jólin: Meaning “Christmas” in Icelandic.
- Kalėdos: Meaning “Christmas” in Lithuanian.
- Kaliady: Meaning “Christmas” in Belarusian.
- Kalikimaka: Meaning “Christmas” in Hawaiian.
- Koleda: Meaning “Christmas” in Bulgarian.
- Krisamāsa: Meaning “Christmas” in Bangla.
- Nadal: Meaning “Christmas” in Catalan.
- Natala: Meaning “Christmas” in Italian.
- Natalie: Meaning “Christmas” in Latin and French
- Natalia or Natalya: Meaning “Christmas” in Latin and French.
- Noeleen: Meaning “Christmas” in French.
- Noel: Meaning “Christmas” in French.
- Noëlle: Meaning “Christmas” in French.
- Noella: Meaning “Christmas” in French.
- Noheri: Meaning “Christmas” in Kinyarwanda.
- Nollaig: Meaning “Christmas” in Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
- Yule: The celebration of the winter solstice.
Is Eve a Christmas name?
Yes, Eve is a great Christmas name for a baby girl:
- Eve: This traditional Hebrew name means “enlivening”, and it’s perfect for a girl born just before Christmas.
Is Belle a Christmas name?
Yes, Belle can be another Christmas girl’s name:
- Bell, Bella, or Belle: A perfect Christmas girl’s name. It means “ringer of the bell” and “beauty”.
Is Ivy a Christmas name?
Definitely ‒ in fact, Ivy is one of the most popular Christmas baby names in December:
- Ivy: The evergreen plant used to decorate at Christmas.
Is Holly a Christmas name?
Yes, Holly is another Christmas girls’ name ‒ it goes beautifully with Ivy (twin winter girls, maybe?).
- Holly: The plant with red berries that people use to decorate their homes.
Can I name my baby Christmas?
Yes, you can call your baby Christmas ‒ whether you choose to call them “Chris” for short is entirely your choice.
But Christmas is a rare baby name, with about 279 (or thereabouts) people called Christmas in the US at the time of writing, according to My Name Stats.
What is a cute Christmas name for a girl?
On the hunt for some adorable Christmas girl names?
We’ve got you covered with these holly, jolly Christmas names for girls:
- Abigail: From the Old Testament, meaning “my father is joyful”.
- Amaryllis: A beautiful flower associated with Christmas and a Greek word meaning “to sparkle”.
- Anya: Anya was Mrs. Claus’s first name in the movie Santa Claus.
- Audrey: Audrey was the youngest Griswold daughter in the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
- Avery: Meaning “elf queen”.
- Beth, Bethany, or Bethenny: A nod to Bethlehem, the city where Jesus Christ was born.
- Cady: From the French word cadeaux, which means “gift”.
- Candi, Candy, or Kandi: It’s a pet name for Candace and a nod to candy canes.
- Carol, Carolle, or Carolina: Why not name your daughter after the songs we sing at this time of year?
- Cindy: Cindy Lu is a character from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
- Clara: A name with vintage vibes and an association with The Nutcracker. It means “bright”.
- Clementine: Meaning “mild” or “merciful” and inspired by Christmas oranges.
- Dorothy or Dorothea: Meaning “gift from God”.
- Eira: Meaning “very snowy”.
- Emmanuelle: An Old Testament name meaning “God is with us”.
- Epifanio: This is a rare Hispanic name that means “bringing lights”. It connects to the Three Wise Men and the celebration of Epiphany in January.
- Estella or Estelle: Meaning “star”.
- Felicity: Meaning “happiness”.
- Ginger: We’re thinking of gingerbread houses here. The name also means “pure”.
- Gloria: “Glory” and the part that everyone loves to sing in a carol.
- Jeanette: Meaning “God is gracious” and included in the Christmas carol Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella.
- Jovie: A name from the Christmas movie Elf.
- Juniper: An evergreen tree.
- Karen: The girl who returned Frosty the Snowman to the North Pole.
- Lucy: This Latin name means “light”.
- Marley: This is the name of the ghost in A Christmas Carol and means “pleasant wood”.
- Mary, Maria, or Miriam: Jesus’ mother and the center of the Christmas story.
- Meri or Merry: Meaning “mirthful” or “joyful”.
- Natalia or Nathalia: This French name means “born at Christmas”.
- Natassia: A Russian-inspired name meaning “born at Christmas” or “birth”.
- Natasja: The Russian form of Natalie.
- Neva: Meaning “white snow”.
- Nicole: A girl’s name that echoes St. Nicholas or Santa Claus.
- Nora: Meaning “light”.
- Paloma: Meaning “dove”, as featured in the song, 12 Days of Christmas.
- Robin or Robyn: A Christmas name that’s great for either gender. It means “bright flame” and is tied to the red-breasted bird that we see on Christmas cards.
- Star: For your little star.
- Stella A subtle Christmas name that refers to the star of Bethlehem.
- Suzy: How about naming your daughter after the famous snowflake?
- Taraji: A Swahili name, meaning “hope and faith”.
- Tiffany: Meaning “epiphany”, a celebration at the end of the 12 days of Christmas.
- Zuzu: Meaning “lily” and inspired by Jimmy Stewart’s adorable daughter in It’s a Wonderful Life.
What’s a Christmas name for a boy?
Looking for Christmas boy names?
You have lots of fabulously festive options here, too. Here are some of our favorites:
- Abner: This Biblical name means “father of light”.
- Alonzo: This Latin name means “eager for war”, but it’s also used in the Christmas movie Meet Me in St Louis.
- Arthur: Meaning “noble” or ‘courageous’. Arthur was Mr. and Ms. Santa Claus’ son in Arthur Christmas.
- Augustus: “Noble and courageous”, and also one of the characters in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
- Caleb: Meaning “devotion to God”.
- Cane, Kane: As in candy cane.
- Celyn: Meaning “holly”.
- Charlie: The main character in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
- Christian: Meaning “follower of Christ”.
- Christopher: St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers and means “bearer of Christ”.
- Clark: Clark is a character in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
- Claus or Klaus: It’s a nickname for Nicholas and means “people’s victory”.
- Clement: Meaning “is mild” or “merciful”. A famous Clement was Clement Moore, the writer of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.
- David: Meaning “beloved” and also used in the classic carol, Once in Royal David’s City.
- Ebenezer: The first name of Scrooge, who turns his life around in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
- Emmanuel: Meaning “God is with us”.
- Felix: Meaning “happy”.
- Frank: As in Frankincense.
- Frederick: The older brother of Santa Claus.
- Frost: Originally a surname, but seen more and more as a first name now.
- Geoffrey: An old European name meaning “peace”.
- Jack: Meaning “God is gracious” and inspired by Jack Frost.
- Jefferson: A vintage Christmas movie, Christmas in Connecticut, featured a hero named Jefferson.
- Jesus: The man whose birthday Christmas is all about.
- Joseph: Another Biblical name.
- Linus: A character from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
- Luke: An Old Testament name meaning “light-giving”.
- Malachi, Malachi, or Malakai: Meaning “messenger”, in connection with the angels who told the shepherds that Jesus had been born.
- Natal: This Spanish name means “birthday”.
- Nicholas: Before he was Santa Claus, the man with the white beard was St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children.
- Pax: Meaning “peaceful”.
- Ralphie: This nickname for Ralph, meaning wolf-counsel, is used in the movie A Christmas Story.
- Snowden An Old English name meaning “from the snowy hill”.
- Tannen or Tannon: Taken from Tannenbaum, the German word for a pine tree.
- Theodore: Meaning “gift from God”.
- Timothy: Meaning “honoring God” and immortalized by Dickens’ character, Tiny Tim, from A Christmas Carol.
- Waite: Meaning “guard”, this is also an Old English name for carolers.
- Wenceslas: The name of the good king who attended the feast of Stephen.
What are reindeer names for babies?
Now it’s time for some of the more unique Christmas baby names!
That’s right, we’re taking a look at Santa’s reindeer names and their meanings:
- Blitzen, Blixem, or Blixen: Meaning “lightning” in Dutch.
- Clarice: Meaning “bright and clear”, this is the name of the female reindeer who likes Rudolf.
- Comet: Meaning “wise one” in Greek.
- Cupid: Meaning “affectionate” in Latin.
- Dasher: Meaning “purse maker” in Scottish.
- Dancer: Meaning “lively one” in French.
- Donner, Donder, or Dunder: Meaning “thunder” in Afrikaans.
- Mitzi: Rudolf’s mother in The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
- Olive: Inspired by the movie Olive, the Other Reindeer.
- Prancer: Meaning “fiery horse” in English.
- Rudolf, Rudolph, or Rudy: Known as Santa’s favorite reindeer.
- Vixen: Meaning “female fox” in English.
Christmas angel names
Whether your tree is topped with a star or an angel, you might also find inspiration in this list of classic, angelic names for Christmas.
- Angel or Angela
- Angelina or Angelica
- Angelo
- Gabriel
- Gabriella
- Michael
- Michaela
- Serephina or Serefine
What is the best Christmas name?
Still looking?
How about using some of the values we associate with Christmas?
- Charity
- Faith
- Hope
- Joy
- Peace
There you have it ‒ 127 Christmas-inspired baby names for your little winter gift.
Got some favorites? Why not share them with the other moms-to-be on Peanut?
Happy holidays!