Adorable Christmas Baby Names and Their Meanings

 

There's no denying that picking a name for your new arrival is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make as a parent - and that's before you've even probably got stuck in. Well if you're due to welcome your new baby in time for Christmas, why not take inspiration from the festive season?

Last month, the Office of National Statistics released their annual list of the UK's most popular baby names. And while Olivia and Oliver came out top again, Christmastrees.co.uk analysed the findings to reveal the nation's favourite festive names.  Here are our top picks for the most festive ones! 

1. Ivy -is of course a festive evergreen, it has long been used during winter solstice celebrations to ward off evil spirits and to celebrate new growth.
2. Grace -means eloquence, kindness and favour. The name itself does not have a direct tie to Christmas, but the sound and meaning have strong connotations of the festive season. 
3. Evie - is the Latin form of Eve, the name itself means living, and the night before, and you can’t get much more festive than Christmas Eve itself.
4. Bella - as in Christmas bells, it means beauty in Italian. The French origin of the name, ‘Belle’ was the long lost love of Scrooge in Charles Dickinson’s ‘Christmas Carol.’
5. Lucy - means ‘light’ and conjures up images of sparkling lights on the Christmas tree. 
6. Maria - is the Latin version of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ.
7. Robyn - means ‘bright fame’, and the red robin bird has become a symbol for Christmas, often being on Christmas cards and wrapping paper.
8. Holly- From the holly tree. This plant with red berries is synonymous with Christmas and is often used to decorate homes
9. Clara - is another name related to light, and means ‘bright’ and ‘clear’, Clara is also the name of the little girl in The Nutcracker, the popular ballet typically performed during the Christmas season. 
10. Maryam- based on the original manuscripts of the New Testament, Maryam is the name of Mary the mother of Jesus.

Boys:

1. Jack - the name Jack means ‘God is Gracious’, but can also resemble Jack Frost, a popular character in English folklore who personifies winter.
2. Theodore -a big part of Christmas is gifts, and the name Theodore literally means ‘God’s Gift’
3. Joseph - Joseph’s relevance to Christmas should need no explanation, featured in the Bible as father to Jesus, and husband to Mary, the name Joseph means “increase or addition"
4. David - the name David means ‘beloved’ and is a popular biblical name. Poet Cecil Francis Alexander wrote a poem that inspired the classic Christmas carol Once in Royal David’s City.
5. Gabriel -was the angel who informed Mary that she would be giving birth to Jesus, and is an integral part to the Christmas story.
6. Jesse- Jess is another name that is associated with gifting, Jesse is or Hewbrew origin and means gift.
7. Michael - keeping with the angelic theme of Christmas, in the Bible Michael was the archangel who led the other angels to victory in a war against Satan.
8. Felix - the name Felix is of Latin origin and means happy and prosperous. Which are both great traits that we associate with Christmas.
9. Jasper - is a variation of the name Caspar, who was one of the three kings who brought gifts for Jesus.  
10. Alfred - originally Aelfread, is taken from the old English aelf which means “‘elf”.