Christmas Names

If you love Calliope and Callista, you'll love Calanthe, which combines the trendiness of the Greek 'cal' names with the equally fashionable "the" ending (like Xanthe and Evanthe) and a connection to the beautiful Christmas Orchid. Color Calantha one of the more unusual and captivating <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">names for Christmas babies</a>.

Calanthe

The Welsh word for "love" and a term of endearment turned modern word-name, Cariad is a sweet possibility that might work well as a <a href="https:///list/630/70-lovely-names-for-february-babies">name for a February or Valentines baby</a> or a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">name for a Christmas baby.</a> A famous bearer is British comedian Cariad Lloyd.

Cariad

A gentle nickname name with plenty of spirit, Jespie may appeal to those who enjoy Jesse, Jasper, and Joseph, but want something more unexpected. Chosen by content creator Skye Maree Knijff (also known as Skye Knifey), it may be a variation of Jasper, via the Dutch, Swedish, and Finnish forms, Jesper and Jesperi.
 
The aforementioned creator first heard the name in the Christmas animated comedy film, Klaus, in which a character called Jesper refers to himself as Jespie. Owing to its Scandinavian origins, it would be pronounced as YEHS-pee (or YEHS-bee) in this case, though JEHS-pee may be used in English. 
 
Like with many nickname choices, however, it may work for multiple names. As such, it could also be seen as a short form of Joseph, inspired by the Italian Giuseppe and Finnish Jooseppi.

Jespie

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

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

Kazuko is a Japanese feminine name that combines the character kazu ("harmony") with ko ("child"), creating a name that in total symbolises a child of peace. In Japan, names ending in ‘ko’ are rarely used as they now sound oldfashioned. More ‘trendy’ names are Kazumi (which means beautiful peace and can me used on both boys and girls), Kazuki (a masculine name meaning hope of peace) and Kazuo (also a masculine name meaning man of peace). The emphasis is on the first syllable, so it is said "KA-zoo-ko".

Kazuko

Kantuta is the Quechua name for the national flower of both Bolivia and Peru, which is known for flowering around Christmas time. With its vivid green foliage and extremely bright red bell-shaped flowers, the plant encapsulates many traditional Christmas symbols, making Kantuta one of the great unique <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">names for Christmas babies</a>.

Kantuta

Christmas is a day name long and quietly used as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">name for babies born at Christmas</a>. Prettier and more modern than Noel or Noelle.

Christmas

A very Christmas-y <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">Christmas baby name</a>, that may avoid the Santa image by instead adopting the alternative spelling Klaus.

Claus

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

Sparkly, wintery, and vibrant, this Finnish compound name blends two word names into one. Meaning "snow cherry", it was chosen for 12 girls in Finland in a recent year. 

Lumikirsikka

A beautiful wintery choice, Lumililja is a modern Finnish name, blending Lumi ("snow") with Lilja ("lily"). Also written as Lumi-Lilja, it is one of several Lumi and Lilja compounds in the Finnish stats, including Lumikukka and Inkalilja. 
 
A recent count saw it chosen for 6 girls as a given name and 18 as a middle name, while Lumi-Lilja was chosen for 23.

Lumililja

The Finnish word for Christmas, occasionally given as a name to children born around the holiday.

Joulu

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

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

Minty isn't a fresh word name — it's an old-fashioned nickname for Araminta, the romantic smoosh name coined by playwright William Congreve in 1693.

Minty

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

Culver

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

Short and catchy form of traditional Asian name. 

Hoshi

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 17)