Christmas Names

This beautiful Breton saint's name peaked at #127 in France in 2006. It's still in the Top 500 there today, but remains almost unknown outside of France.

Elouan

Shula is a short form often used on its own in Israel. Sula is another, related, option. As an Arabic name, it has a bright, fiery meaning.

Shula

This spelling used in Italy and Spain shares the peaceful meaning of dove with the more familiar Columba.  It's a Top 35 name in Chile.

Colomba

Drummer entered the baby name lexicon thanks to blogger No Big Dill, who chose it for her newborn son, who joins five older sisters. Drummer is right in step with other occupational names in vogue now, from Archer to Gardener. Let's just hope Drummer doesn't prefer to play the piano.


Drummer

Subtle but clear unisex way to signal peace, especially in middle place. 

Dove

This cosmological name has a zippy feel that might work well for the galactic parent looking for the perfect name for their own little star.

Comet

A warm and musical name with a lovely meaning. There is a popular song called Dembe by famous Ugandan artist named Bobbi Wine, who also ran for President.

Dembe

A word name that's appealing when applied to a person boogying or doing ballet; a different story in the context of Santa's reindeer. 

Dancer

In the currently popular solid, serious, two-syllable mold. 

Culver

Marron is an uncommon feminine name with multiple potential origins. It may derive from French, where 'marron' refers to the chestnut color or the nut itself, giving the name nature-inspired connotations. Alternatively, it could be a variation of Marion or a surname adapted for use as a first name. Marron has a sophisticated, somewhat mysterious quality with its smooth sound and uncommon usage. The name remains quite rare in English-speaking countries, appealing to parents seeking truly distinctive options. Its short, two-syllable structure makes it both memorable and easy to pronounce across languages.

Marron

A relation of Helen via the Slavic Jelena, Jelka is also a word name, used to describe a fir tree in Slovene and a Christmas tree specifically in Serbian and Croatian. As such, it may be a good choice for a winter baby. 




Jelka

The least used of the Three Wise Men's names, but a strong option for bold namers to consider.
 
The exact origins of Melchior are unknown, but it is speculated that it derived from either the Hebrew roots melekh and 'or, together meaning "king of light," or the Persian melk and quart, taken to mean "city of the king."

Melchior

Meredith has been considered primarily a girl's name since the fifties, before which it was more commonly used for boys. Comic actor Jay Mohr recently named his son Meredith, which might help it swing back into the blue column. The traditional Welsh pronunciation puts the stress on the middle syllable, making Red a cool nickname possibility.

Meredith

A merry surname cousin of Kerrigan, could make a lively choice for a happy little girl.

Merrigan

Lettice is still occasionally heard in upper-class British families, but we fear it would cause too much salad-green teasing to be considered in the U.S.  Calling your little Lettice Lettie could help make the name more user-friendly, or go all the way to the original Letitia. 

Lettice

Absalom, because of its biblical and literary associations, just might appeal to the daring namegiver. 
 In the Old Testament, Absalom was the handsome, favored but rebellious son of King David. In literature, Absalom appears in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, as the repeated title of a Faulkner novel--which refers to the biblical personage rather than the name of a character-- in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country and, on a more trivial note, as the name of the caterpillar in the Tim Burton version of "Alice in Wonderland."
 The growing-in-popularity Axel is the Scandinavian form of the name.

Absalom

Egyptian mythology place-name with an intriguing sound and appealingly peaceful meaning. Update for Aaron?

Aaru

An anglicized spelling of Muirne, the name of the mother of Finn mac Cool in Irish legend, Myrna has a unique sound and two possible meanings, both of which are positive. Actress Myrna Loy was a notable bearer and her fame caused a spike in popularity of the name, when it reached the US Top 150 in the 1930s. 

Myrna

Letitia is a delicate, once prim and proper sounding name whose staid image has been unbuttoned by numerous phonetic spellings. The original, often used in Spanish-speaking families, would still make an attractive, delicate choice. After a solid century on the Top 1000 list, Letitia fell off in the early 1980s and has not yet returned. 
 Letitia has a First Lady heritage, as the wife of President John Tyler. Letitia Baldridge, White House social secretary to Jacqueline Kennedy, was often known as Tish. These days, most parents would prefer the sweet, gold-locket pet forms Letty or Lettie.
 Spelled Laetitia, she was the Roman goddess of celebration, happiness and gaiety. The name appeared in the form Lettice in medieval England.

Letitia

Kerensa, forever romantic, is a rare Cornish name spelled with an 's' or 'z', the most modern of the Karen family. Kerensa (or Kerenza) has ties to the Welsh Cerys.
 Kerensa is a name favored by novelists who are using a Cornish setting, such as Victoria Holt in The Legend of the Seventh Virgin.
 The Kerenza spelling has a bit more zip.

Kerensa

Christmas names can be drawn from many sources, from names that mean Christmas to figures associated with the magical holiday to symbols of Christmas and winter.

 include Clara for girls and Theodore for boys. Along with Ivy, other 

Christmas names for girls in the US Top 1000 baby names

 include Ivy, Eve, Stella, Natalie, Holly, Josephine, Mary, Lucia, and Angela.

 ranking in the US Top 1000 include Felix, Pax, Nicholas, Joseph, Christian, Christopher, Bennett, and Angel.

 that strike the perfect style note today include Snow, Drummer, Lumi, Lucian, Kerensa, Pace, and Christmas itself.

The Christmas names here represent many origins and styles and include 

 as well as gender-neutral names with Christmas meanings. Names that mean blessed or holy, star or light, joy or peace might be considered Christmas names.

Nature names related to snow or the trees and flowers of Christmas qualify, along with the names of the Holy Family, the angels and the Wise Men.

If you're expecting a baby born during the end-of-year holidays, or simply want a name that connotes the magical season, consider this collection of Christmas baby names.

Christmas names for baby girls and baby boys, including popular Christmas names and unique names celebrating the Christmas holiday, such as Noelle, Winter, Ivy, and Nicholas,  (Page 13)