It's extremely unusual to have a Christmas Day baby. In fact, according to The New York Times, it is the rarest birthday to have.
But whether your baby is born on Dec. 25 or at some point around the holidays, you may want to celebrate the season by giving your little one a Christmas baby name.
You may consider: Joseph, Nicholas, Christopher, Christian, Angel or Jesus for boys. And for girls, there is: Natalie, Noelle, Christina, Kristen, Maria, Angelica or Carol.
"Some of the best used Christmas baby names are also year-round traditional names," baby naming consultant Sherri Suzanne, founder of My Name for Life, tells TODAY.com.
“For some parents, traditional Christmas names are not quite original enough,” Suzanne says. “So over the years, I’ve worked one-on-one with parents to expand the palette of Christmas names.”
Some of the out-of-the-box names Suzanne's clients have chosen include:
- Variations of traditional Christmas names: Kit, Cole, Talia, Tasha, Noella or Kristian.
- Names that suggest symbols of the season: Garland, Yule or Holly.
- Names that refer to the spirit of the season: Pax (meaning “peace”) or Joy.
- Names that mean “star” to refer to the Star of Bethlehem: Stella, Esther.
- Names borrowed from Christmas literature or legend: Jack (as in Jack Frost), Timothy (“Tiny Tim” from "A Christmas Carol") or Clara (from "The Nutcracker") or unisex Marley (also from "A Christmas Carol").
- Wintry seasonal names: Frost, Wynter or Eira (a Welsh name for “snow”).
While some parents may opt for a Christmas name for their newborn, Laura Wattenberg, creator of Namerology, says that modern baby naming is all about style, not season.
“Once upon a time, a baby named April was most likely to be born in April, and a Natalie in December,” Wattenberg explains. “But the calendar simply isn’t a significant factor in 21st century baby naming.”
150 Christmas Baby Names
From classics like Holly and Joseph, to Christmas story-inspired names like Marley, here are 150 Christmas baby names to consider.
- Mary
- Joseph
- Jesus
- Merry
- Myrrh
- Halo
- Habib
- Gloria
- Meri
- Nara
- Celyn
- Hima
- Carole
- Josephine
- Mariah
- Rachel
- Ruby
- Noelle
- Emmanuelle
- Belle
- Eve
- Adam
- Heaven
- Celeste
- Amaryllis
- Noel
- Faith
- Holly
- Ivy
- Eira
- Joy
- Miriam
- Snow
- Taraji
- Marley
- Wren
- Ebenezer
- Gabriel
- Balthazar
- Cady
- Helen
- Yule
- Nicole
- Jovie
- Epiphany
- Marie
- Angel
- Gabrielle
- Carol
- Kirsten
- Cookie
- Christina
- Darina
- Berry
- Angelina
- Dolly
- Clara
- Nico
- Clementine
- Theodore
- Serephina
- Dodie
- Crystal
- Hoku
- Amadea
- Kevin
- Comet
- Estelle
- Heavenly
- Farrah
- Star
- Nick
- Noella
- Candi
- Paloma
- Carolina
- Charity
- Avery
- Bella
- December
- Grace
- Elden
- Hope
- Paxton
- Natalie
- Audrey
- Gala
- Cane
- Theodora
- Melchior
- Christian
- Ginger
- Emmanuel
- Malachi
- Mitra
- Claire
- Nicholas
- Tannon
- Anya
- Cindy
- Dorothy
- Luke
- Natassia
- Nora
- Kane
- Clement
- Linus
- Pax
- Olive
- Angelo
- Michaela
- David
- Michael
- Beatrice
- Enya
- Elena
- Mario
- Neva
- Natasha
- Stella
- Nessa
- Tasha
- Asher
- Kristian
- Kit
- Cole
- Talia
- Esther
- Garland
- Juniper
- Timothy
- Wynter
- Felix
- Lucy
- Letitia
- Naveed
- Natale
- Angelica
- Alvie
- Paloma
- Beth
- Serafina
- Lucia
- Tinsel
- Yari
- Chiara
- Nora
- Plum
- Zuzu
- Goldie
