The Christmas blog written for us last year by Elisabeth Wilborn, creator of the wonderful name blog youcantcallitit.com, was so comprehensive and such a hit that we’ve decided to make running it an annual nameberry tradition.
Christmas seems to arrive sooner every year. Once again, I am running frantically to cross things off the list, get the baking done, trim the tree (first we have to get that tree…), and find the ever elusive Christmas stockings before it’s too late. Some may have bigger –or smaller– things on their minds this season. An impending birth, perhaps? If your new child shares a birthday with the most famous baby in the world, you may be tempted to incorporate the season somehow into their name. There’s a lot more to holiday baby naming than Nicholas and Noel. Here are a few ideas that might help broaden the list:
Names related to the Holy Family and the birth of Jesus:
Balthasar, Balthazar- One of the Magi
Casper, Gaspard, Jasper- While he doesn’t appear in the Bible, this is also said to be the name (here in several versions) of one of the three wise men
Christian, Christine, Christina, Christopher, Christabel (girl) and Cristobal (boy) – Followers of Christ
Emmanuel for a boy, or Emmanuelle, for a girl
Epiphany- For the celebration just following that commemorates the visit of the Magi
Estelle, Estella, Esther, Seren, Stella- All have meaning related to “star”
Eve- For the night before
Joseph, Josepha, Josephine (also cognates Giuseppe and Jozef)
Yeshua- Other versions of the name Jesus
Maria, Mary- The mother. Miriam is also etymologically linked to this name
Melchior- The third king to visit Jesus
Natalia, Natalie- Derived from natal which means “birth”, Natale is the Italian word for Christmas; Natasha is an Eastern European nickname for Natalia
North- After the guiding North Star?
Theodore/a, Dorothea, Dorothy- “Gift of God”
Virginia- There are any number of names that represent the Virgin Mary. Plus you can say to her, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”
Names connoting light:
Clara- Also the little girl in the Nutcracker, who in some versions is referred to as Mary or Maria; her brother is Fritz
Eleanor, Eleanora, Leonor, Lenora, Nora
Lucia, Lucian, Lucius, Lucy, Lux
The Angelic:
Angel, Angela, Angelica, Angelika, Angelina
Gabriel- Angel who broke the news to Mary that she was pregnant; Gabriella, Gabrielle
Hermione- “The messenger”
Malachi- “My messenger” or “my angel” in Hebrew
Michael- Another of the seven archangels, and a good choice if your loved one is away in battle, as he is patron saint of soldiers
Serafina, Seraphine- From the highest order of angels, the seraphim, and with the slightly ironic meaning “fiery”
Names that recall the spirit of the season:
Gloria, Glory
Meaning “dove”, the symbol of peace:
Greenery:
Celyn- Welsh for “holly”
(Mistletoe and Poinsettia are other possibilities, though I can’t get behind either one)
Related to the season, as it is in the northern hemisphere:
Bianca, Blanca- “White” in Italian, Spanish
Blanche- French for “white”
Lumi- Finnish for “snow”
Nevada- “Snow-capped” in Spanish
Solstice
Yuki, Yukiko- Japanese, “happiness + snow”, and “happiness + snow + child”
For Posterity:
Claus, Nicholas, Nicola, Nicole- For jolly old St. Nick
I wish you all the best if you are naming your little one this Christmas. A great name is one of the best gifts you can bestow. It’s a start, anyway. Happy Holidays!
Elisabeth Wilborn is an artist and writer who lives with her young family in Brooklyn, New York. To help quench your baby name thirst, check out her blog exclusively devoted to names, youcantcallitit.com.
OUR WARMEST WISHES FOR A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL YOU NAMEBERRYITES FROM LINDA & PAM !!
December 24th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Nicely done, as always, Elisabeth.
I am a Christmas Eve baby with the given name: Nicole Marie. Being born in the 1980′s my name was popular and almost never associated with the Holiday. It wasn’t until I went off to college that people started asking if my name was a tribute to the season. It had never occurred to me that it could have been. It ends up I was named after a friend of my parents, Nikki, and a maternal figure in my mother’s life, Marie. I was also born over a week late so they never considered having a baby so close to Christmas. I guess it was subconscious naming on their part.
Happy Holidays!