Christmas baby name ideas from Marley to Noelle
Choosing a baby name can be a tricky decision for parents. While some are influenced by celebrities and the monikers appearing on the most popular list, others might opt to give their child a name related to Christmas, particularly if they are born around the festive season.
Even though Christmas Day and Boxing Day are actually the two rarest days to give birth, mums and dads-to-be may still opt to capture the joy of the yuletide period through their baby's name choice.
“Christmas can be a magical time of the year and evoke lots of happy memories so it’s not unusual that some parents look for winter-themed baby names," explains Sarah Redshaw, managing director at Baby Centre.
"Holly and Ivy are both in the top 100 with Ivy making it into the top 10 this year and Gabriel has jumped eight places”.
Redshaw has suggested some classic options for little Christmas puddings including Arthur, after the film Arthur Christmas which is number 11 in the most popular list, Jack, after Jack Frost, which is up three places this year and Gabriel, after the angel Gabriel in the Nativity story.
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For parents of baby girls hoping to give a nod to the most wonderful time of the year, Redshaw has some well-known seasonal monikers including Robyn, Holly and Ivy.
For those after more unique names with festive feels she suggests Nova, which means bright or newborn star and Evie or Eva, inspired by Christmas Eve.
Funky Pigeon have also done some analysis of the ONS’s recently released baby name data to reveal the most popular baby names that scream festive spirit.
Topping the list is the name Ivy with 2245 babies being given the name in 2021, ranking 5th out of all girl names in the UK.
In second place is Bella with 730 baby girls being given this name in 2021. The name, traditionally the short form of Isabella, may not immediately conjure festive vibes, but is a good choice for parents wanting a hint of the season with its links to jingle bells.
Third spot in the most popular festive name charts is the seasonal Holly, with 568 newborn girls being given this name in 2021.
Holly has been a key Christmas addition for centuries – in fact prior to Victorian times the term ‘Christmas tree’ actually referred to holly.
Holly is also one of the birth flowers of December, making it a fitting name for a December baby.
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When it comes to boys' name suggestions Jack comes out on top with 2,847 baby boys being given the moniker in 2021.
Although the name doesn’t immediately appear Christmassy, it is the name of key Christmas characters such as Jack Frost and Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas).
Next up is the eternally festive Joseph with 1,307 baby boys carrying the name in 2021, while another nativity-inspired staple is Gabriel with 749 little boys given the name last year.
Of course Christmas is also a time for feasting and some popular festive foods and flavours could also provide some naming inspo for new parents.
Research, conducted by Exante, looked at the most popular food and drink-inspired baby names to discover the top Christmassy-sounding foodie names.
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The most popular Christmas foodie names include Sage (24,172), Rosemary (11,158) and Juniper (8,353), while Brandy and Berry also ranked in the top 10.
Parents looking for a festive foodie name a little more out there could also consider Thyme (31), Chianti (60) and Champagne (62), which featured on the more obscure festive-inspired foodie name list.
From seasonal classics like Holly and Joseph, to more unusual festive-inspired monikers like Marley, here are 30 suggestions of Christmas baby names to ponder
Christmas-inspired girls names
Mary
Holly
Ivy
Robyn
Bella
Eve
Noelle
Faith
Winter
Angel
Joy
Star
Marley
Merry
Angel
Sage
Thyme
Rosemary
Nova
Grace
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Christmas-inspired boys names
Arthur
Noel
Jack
Gabriel
Joseph
Ebenezer
Marley
Nicholas
Rudolph
Emmanuel
Luke
Saint
Cane
Robin
Angelo
Shepherd
Tim
Bailey
Theodore
Comet
