Being called Christmas, like the famous white-bearded man, is a reality far from being rare as one might think.
It’s a question that we can sometimes ask ourselves as the holidays approach: are there really a lot of people named Christmas, like Santa Claus? Well, imagine yes! Giving a symbolic first name is a tradition that has lasted for many ages. Christmas, for example, instantly evokes the magic of the holidays, whether it’s the birth of Jesus Christ or the famous Santa Claus. But contrary to what one might think, it is not necessary to be born on December 25 to have this very special first name. In France, many are still called Noël or Noëlle in feminine terms, perpetuating a unique link with this magical time of the year.
Indeed, by analyzing data from INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies), we sought to find out how many people have the male first name Noël. Including births registered from 1925 to 2023 – which includes people aged up to 99 – there are more than 41,000 men named Noël in France (41,165 precisely).
Also looking at history, the “record” year for this first name was 1948 with 1,268 little boys named Noël. Since then, the popularity of the first name has continued to decline, notably with a big drop from 1971. In the 1990s, the number of attributions fell below a hundred. And according to the latest data from INSEE, in 2022, only 7 babies were named this way. As for the female version of the first name, namely Noëlle, there are more than 26,000 women who have it (26,544 to be precise).
Whatever the case, for some parents, the first name Noël has a very strong symbolism. Its origin comes from the first name Nataliswhich in Latin means “day of birth”, implying the birth of Christ. It therefore carries a deep meaning, particularly for people of faith.