So your due date is in the month of December? First up, congratulations! You’ve almost made it. Now for the trickier stuff: what to call your impending arrival...
With Christmas almost upon us, there are actually loads of cute, winter-inspired names for boys and girls based on characters from festive films, carols and – of course – the nativity.
The team at card retailer Funky Pigeon analysed ONS’s recently released baby name data to reveal the most popular baby names that scream festive spirit. Here’s what they found.
Top Christmas-inspired names for girls
Topping the list for girls is the name Ivy (think Christmas carol: ‘Holly and the Ivy’) with 2,245 babies being given the name in 2021. It ranked fifth out of all girl names in the UK.
Next on the list is Bella (think Christmas bells), with 730 baby girls being given this name in 2021, ranking 72nd overall.
And in third place is – unsurprisingly – Holly (one of the birth flowers of December). According to the ONS, 568 baby girls were given this name in 2021, with it ranking 95th out of all girl names in the UK.
Here’s the full list of names for girls:
1. Ivy - one of the two plants mentioned in the Christmas carol ‘the Holly and the Ivy’.
2. Bella - a nod to Christmas bells
3. Holly - again, from the carol. See also: deck the halls with boughs of holly.
4. Anna - the name of one of the main characters in the winter Disney hit, Frozen.
5. Gabriella - the feminine form of Gabriel, the name of the angel sent to tell Mary she was pregnant with Jesus
6. Eve - think: Christmas eve.
7. Mary - the mother of Jesus.
8. Belle - a variation on Bella.
9. Gloria - from “Gloria in excelsis Deo”, a Christian hymn sung at Christmas.
10. Elsa - also from the Disney winter classic, Frozen.
11. Angelina - a diminutive of the name Angela, meaning “Messenger of God”.
12. Noelle - feminine form of Noel or Noël meaning “of or born on Christmas”.
13. Star - the wise men followed the North Star to reach the birthplace of Jesus.
14. Jovie - the name of Buddy’s love interest in the 2003 film Elf, played by Zooey Dechannel.
15. Snow - this one speaks for itself really.
Top Christmas-inspired names for boys
First on the list for boys is Jack with 2,847 baby boys given this name in 2021, making it the 13th most popular boy’s name in the UK.
Although the name doesn’t appear particularly Christmassy, it is the name of key film characters such as Jack Frost and Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas).
In second place is Joseph (as in Mary’s husband in the nativity) with 1,307 baby boys carrying the name in 2021.
And coming in third place is Gabriel, with 749 boys given the name last year. Gabriel is the name of the angel who was sent to tell Mary that she was pregnant.
Here’s the full list of names for boys:
1. Jack - popular Christmas film characters Jack Skellington and Jack Frost share the name.
2. Joseph - the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus
3. Gabriel - the name of the angel sent to tell Mary she is pregnant with Jesus.
4. Luke - the Gospel of Luke contains the birth of Christ and therefore is all about Christmas.
5. Nicholas - a tribute to St Nicholas (Santa Claus).
6. Kevin - the lead character in the popular Christmas movie Home Alone.
7. Frank - a nod to Frankincense, one of the gifts given by the Wise Men.
8. Christian - Christmas is a Christian holiday.
9. Emmanuel - Emmanuel is one of the names of Jesus Christ in the Bible.
10. Timothy - the character Tiny Tim plays a key part of Scrooge’s redemption in A Christmas Carol.
11. Buddy - the name of the protagonist played by Will Ferrell in the 2003 Christmas film Elf.
12. Noel - Noel or Noël is derived from the Old French word, “nael,” meaning “of or born on Christmas.”
13. Clark - From the National Lampoon’s Christmas protagonist Clark Griswold.
14. Olaf - the name of the snowman sidekick in the wintery Disney hit, Frozen.
15. Clement - named after the author of 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (commonly called The Night Before Christmas), Clement Clarke.
Gender neutral names
Data from Google Trends suggest searches for gender neutral names are on the rise. Some festive-inspired unisex names include Marley (surname of Scrooge’s old business partner Robert Marley), Robin (as in the gorgeous red-breasted bird seen on Christmas cards everywhere), Faith, Winter, Joy and Heaven.