Are all the lists of holiday name ideas getting it wrong?
Sorry, Saint Nick. Zillions of web lists and TikToks may insist that Nicholas is the classic Christmas baby name, but the stats say otherwise. An American boy is no more likely to be named Nicholas in December than any other month.
The truth is, Christmas baby names exist mostly in the imagination of list-makers. It’s tempting fun to think up names with Christmas connections, but when it comes down to actually naming our kids we ignore the calendar. Mostly. There’s an exception to this holiday name rule: Noel.
Noel differs from Nicholas on many dimensions, including popularity and gender distribution. But at Christmastime, the key factor turns out to be first vs. middle names. Nicholas is usually chosen as a first name. In contrast, Noel—based on my review of thousands of US babies given the name in the 2010s decade—is seven times more popular as a middle name than a first name. And the kicker: middle-name Noels are much more likely to be born in December. The real Christmas names, it seems, aren’t first names.
Matching the Middle
First and middle names are different in essence. Our first names are our everyday identities, the way we present ourselves to the world. Middle names, tucked out of the spotlight, can play other roles. They’re ideal vehicles to pay homages, make connections, hide secret messages, and tell stories. You aren’t likely to base your son’s lifelong identity on the fact that he was born on December 23rd. But using a middle name to memorialize his birth as the ultimate Christmas present? Now we’re talking.
Noel fits the middle role better than Nicholas based on sound. When parents compose a full name, they look for middle names that fit smoothly into the overall rhythm. That places a premium on one-syllable names (Liam James, Sophia Rose), and two-syllable names with second-syllable stress, which are most common for girls (Ava Simone).
Noel is most often pronounced NOHL for boys and noh-EHL for girls, a perfect middle-name bullseye. The French feminine Noelle is a popular December middle name as well.
Christmas baby name lists always seem to assume the target is a first name. How would a list look different if it focused on the supporting middle role? Length, rhythm, and starting/ending sounds become more important. Deliberately playful names get a little more leeway on sound, though, since they’re more about fun than fashion.
Here’s my starter list of Christmas middle name prospects. Can you suggest more?
Christmas Middle Names
Belén
Bell
Christmas
Estelle
Eve
Frost
Joy
Marie
Noel
Noelle
Pax
Peace
Pine
Star
Yule
Zuzu
9 Comments
Cadeau — French for gift
Carole
Gloria
Holly or Hollis
Ivy
Natalie
Shepherd
Cadeau is perfect. You understood the assignment!
It’d be a trifecta of cruelty (all of the gift-giving celebrations on the same day!), but the traditional Hungarian name-day for Ádám and Éva (Adam and Eve) is Christmas Eve, and István (Stephen) and János (John) have the 26th and 27th, respectively. Those male names each have another, equally-traditional day at a different time of year, but Éva doesn’t, so it would be unkind to bestow it as a Christmas baby’s only name. (I don’t know any official numbers for the proportions, but not all Hungarians give more than one name per child.)
In terms of providing a gift-giving excuse as far from Christmas as possible, John and Paul would be ideal: June 26 is János and Pál, June 29 is Pál and Péter, and June 30 is Pál. For girls, Irene would work (Irén is June 28), as would Anette (Anett is June 13).
Merry
Natasha
and perhaps one of the three magi
Caspar
Melchior
Balthazar
Gift
Nativity/Nadal
Stable
Ilex – Botanic name for holly plants
Aurelia/Golda/Orinda – Gold
Frankie – Frankincense
Miron – Myrrh
Levona – Myrrh
Cookie
Krampus
I think you hit the nail on the head. I love the name Belén and would be charmed to hear most of your suggestions as middle names for a Christmas baby!
A few more ideas:
Angel
Candela
Candle
Drummer
Estrella
Etoile
Hark
Herald
Midnight
Paz
I’m not that surprised about first names not being affected as much by the month the baby’s born. More and more I see parents having names chosen, or at least their finalists weeks to months before the birth so they’re not thinking of a coming holiday. So even if your due date is December 25, you know it’s just as likely the baby will be born three weeks before or a week after and you’ve had the candidates narrowed down by October or November at the latest. People tend not to put as much importance on middle names, and a lot of them are just chosen for what sounds nice with the first name.
I pronounce Noel for boys as two syllables, NOH-ull. Is that perhaps a regional thing?
Interesting. For me it’s one syllable, or maybe 1.5, but Noël or Noelle (two syllables) I have only seen used on girls.