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Thursday 25 December 2014

Merry Christmas! Festive Names

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to everyone! As the festive season is already here, I thought it would be appropriate to do a post about Christmas based names. 

Natalia
A name can't get any more Christmassy than Natalia, as it's original Latin meaning is "Christmas Day", or "Born at Christmas". It's most used in the Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek and Polish languages. It has many international variants, including Natalie (Nathalie) and the more exotic Natalija. 

Holly
This fun plant name is most commonly given to baby girls who are born around Christmas Time. It's a popular name in England at the moment, being #24 on the popularity charts, whilst in the United States it's currently at #380. Hollie is it's most common spelling variant, though other spelling variations include Holie and Holli. 

Christabel
Even though the name doesn't have that Christmassy a meaning ("follower of Christ"), it is the middle name of Princess Alexandra, one of the cousins of Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Alexandra received her middle name of Christabel as she was born on Christmas Day. 

Noël 
This is another very Christmassy name as the French word for "Christmas". People in France wish each other a Merry Christmas by saying "Joyeux Noël" to each other. It's variation is Noel, whilst it's feminisation is Noelle. 

Belén
This is the Spanish translation of Bethlehem, Jesus's birthplace in the Bible. It is commonly used as a middle name in Chile.

Balthazar 
Balthazar, or Balthasar, is the name of one of the Three Wise Men (alternatively known as The Three Kings or the Magi) in the Bible. It has a less festive meaning of "Baal protects the King" and has Phoenician origins.

Melchior
Is one of the names of the Three Wise Men in the Bible. It can also be used as a surname.

Gaspar
Is the name of another of the Three Wise Men in the Bible. Even though we don't "officially" know their names, these are the most commonly used or guessed names. Gaspar has Persian origins and has a wonderful meaning of "treasure". Sometimes, The Wise Man called Gaspar in the Bible's name is spelt as Caspar. 

Jesús
Although the name of Jesus himself is rare in most countries, it's very popular amongst Spanish / Hispanic communities, where it is pronounced as "heh-soos". 

Mary
In my opinion, a name can't get more classic than Mary as the name of the Virgin Mary, or Our Lady as she is known as in Catholic communities. Mary has several meanings, though the most common one is the Hebrew "bitter". Other meanings include  "beloved", "rebelliousness", "wished-for child" and "star of the sea". 

Joseph
In the New Testament, Joseph is the name of Jesus's father. It has a meaning of "he will add". The name has also been worn by a number of famous namesakes, including various Austrian Emperors. It's variants include Josef and Yosef; whilst it's feminisations  include Josephine and Josepha.

Gabriel
The name of God's messenger in the Bible, more commonly known as The Angel Gabriel, has a meaning of "able-bodied one of God", or "messenger of God". Some of it's variations include Gabriël and Gavriel, and the feminisations of Gabriel are Gabriella or Gabrielle.

Nicholas
The name of Saint Nicholas is a combination of "victory" and "people". It's variants include Nikolaus and Nikolaos. 

Claus
The name of Santa Claus is rarely used in English speaking countries, though it has it's usage in more Germanic countries, where it can also be spelt Klaus. It was the name of the former Queen Beatrix of the Netherland's husband, Prince Claus, and is now currently being used by her grandson, Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg. It is also the Germanic short form of Nicholas. 

Carol
Although it may have a rather dated feel, this name is the word used for the songs or hymns sung at Christmas Time. It has a meaning of "strong", and in English, it is most commonly used for girls, though in Europe it can also be used for boys. It mostly translates as Charles in English. The Dutch variation of the name is Karel, whilst the Polish variant is Karol. 











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