Life
These Christmas Eve Baby Names Will Give Your Little One A Lifetime Of Magic
Some folks like to choose baby names based on family names and traditions. Others like to choose based on their favorite movies, songs, musicians, book characters, or just how a name sounds. Still others like to choose names based on their favorite holidays or on the time of year their baby will be born. If you're having a baby on December 24 (or have a feeling you might be, even if your due date is a few days earlier or later), and you fall into the latter category of name pickers, you're probably in the market for some Christmas Eve baby names right about now. Lucky for you, I found two dozen!
What better number than 24 for a list of Christmas Eve baby names? Plus, the names on this list aren't all biblical, for those of you who celebrate the holiday without the religious aspects. Names like Belle, Carol, and Rudolph aren't in the bible, I don't believe — and are definitely not part of the nativity story. Even if your poor kid has to share their birthday with Christmas, at least they'll have a festive name, right? If you asked Santa to bring you the birth of your baby ASAP this year, this list of Christmas Eve baby names is definitely for you. Maybe just don't name your kid Grinch?
1Carol
Love to go caroling in your neighborhood on Christmas Eve? The name Carol may be for you. As SheKnows explained, "Carol" is "a feminine form of Charles, meaning strong or manly," but can also mean "joy." For what it's worth, Urban Dictionary defines Carol as a "song of happiness." Aw.
2Belle
Bells and Christmas go together like Turkey and Thanksgiving — I think so anyway. From Behind the Name, "Belle" is short for Isabella, which means "beautiful."
3Gabriel
Baby Center defined "Gabriel" as meaning "God is my strength" in Hebrew. Makes sense, since Gabriel is the angel who tells Mary she will be giving birth to Jesus in the bible.
4Joseph
Joseph is another important name in the Christian biblical story of Christmas Eve. SheKnows said "Joseph" is a Hebrew name which means "May Jehovah add/give increase."
5Eve
SheKnows defined "Eve" as a Hebrew name meaning "life, living, lively." As part of the name Christmas Eve, I don't think you can get more festive than that.
6Faith
Whether it's in Santa Claus or someone/thing else, people talk about faith a lot during the holidays. Said SheKnows: "Faith" is a Greek name, and it means "confidence, trust, or belief."
7Grace
Whether it's after Jane Fonda's hilarious character in the Netflix show Grace and Frankie, or a song you sing during the holiday season (Amazing Grace), Grace is a beautiful name no matter what. SheKnows defined "Grace" as "God's favor."
8Angel
Angels are a big part of Christmas. I mean, obviously, since many people put angels on top of their trees instead of stars. Plus, an angel named Gabriel told Mary she was going to have Jesus in Christian belief. The name "Angel" is Greek, according to SheKnows, and it means "messenger."
9Garland
Garland is actually a pretty rad name on its own in my opinion. But even better if you have a strong love for Christmas. "Garland" means "spear, land," according to SheKnows.
10Astra
Astra comes from the Latin astralis, which means "of the stars," said SheKnows. Stars go on top of the tree, and are symbolic of the "Christmas Star" from the nativity story in Christianity.
11Candy
Whether it's of the cane variety or chocolate in your stocking, there's usually a lot of candy around during the holidays. One of my favorite coworkers I've ever had was named Candy, and it was short for Canada. So whether it's for Christmas candy or your favorite country, Candy is definitely a fun pick, which interestingly enough means "dazzling white, bright glowing light," said SheKnows.
12Juniper
The name Juniper means "youth producing" or "evergreen," according to Baby Name Wizard. Many folks use juniper trees as a Christmas tree, and Starbucks released a new Juniper Latte holiday drink last year in Seattle which is available everywhere now. It doesn't get much more Christmasy than that red cup, right? I kid, I kid.
13Mary/Merry
Whether you spell the name "Mary" or "Merry" there will be some Christmas significance, depending on what you celebrate. Other than the biblical reference, the name Mary actually means actually means "rebellion," according to SheKnows. Ironic, eh?
14Noelle
The most Christmasy name of all Christmas names (unless you name your kid "Christmas") is Noelle, which is the feminine form of the name "Noel," (which means "Christmas" in French, according to Baby Name Wizard).
15Christian
If you celebrate Christmas as Jesus Christ's birthday, you may be down for going this slightly obvious route. The name "Christian" is actually Danish, and it means "believes in Christ," naturally.
16Kris
The big man himself, Kris Kringle. Or Saint Nicholas/Nick if you're religious. Nicholas or Kris can both be legitimate Christmas Eve names. And apparently "Kris" means "follower of Christ," said SheKnows.
17Buddy
If you don't love this holiday movie, who even are you? Buddy is a cute name, even if it wasn't Christmas-related and in honor of a certain happy Elf who loves to eat sugar on his spaghetti.
Plus, according to SheKnows, Buddy means "friend." Pretty sweet.
18Bethany
Bethany, Bethlehem? Get it? Got it? Good. Explained Baby Name Wizard, Bethany is derived from the Hebrew "house of figs," and "the name is that of a town near Jerusalem at the foot of the Mount of Olives."
19Holly
If you celebrate Christmas, I'm pretty sure you've heard the song Have A Holly Jolly Christmas, sung by Burl Ives. Baby Name Wizard said it's "taken from the name of the holly tree, an evergreen whose stiff, glossy, sharp-pointed leaves and clusters of red berries are used in Christmas decorations."
20Yule
Arguably the original reason for the season, Yule started it all. "Yule is the ancient name in the Germanic lunar calendar for a winter festival corresponding to December and January," explained Dictionary.com. "Later, Yule referred to the 12-day holiday associated with the Feast of the Nativity after the widespread adoption of Christianity through Northern Europe." Ancestry.com says "Yule" is defined as someone who was born on Christmas day. I think this works for Christmas Eve, too, though.
21Shepherd
Said House of Names, "the surname was originally derived from the Old English word 'sceap,' meaning sheep, and 'hierde' meaning herdsman." And I do believe there were some mentions of shepherds or one particular shepherd named Joseph in a Christmas story or two.
22Rudolph
I know this movie has been deemed controversial lately, but look at that reindeer's sweet face. Plus, Rudolph is a classic name with Germanic roots, which means "fame" or "wolf," according to Behind the Name.
23Cookie
Not only is it festive, naming your kid Cookie could be in honor of your favorite treat all year round. As The Name Meaning explained it, the name "Cookie" actually means "one who is cute." So it doesn't even have to be about the dessert if you don't want it to be.
24Kindle
Unless you live in Georgia, where it will be 60 degrees on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (I checked), you'll probably kindle a fire on Christmas Eve because it will actually be cold. I'm so jealous of you. Typically spelled "Kendall," this gender-neutral name means means "Royal Valley," according to SheKnows.
After experiencing a traumatic c-section, this mother sought out a doula to support her through her second child’s delivery. Watch as that doula helps this mom reclaim the birth she felt robbed of with her first child, in Episode Three of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below. Visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes, launching Mondays in December.