Given name & surname · also Old French
Noël
“Christmas”·“birthday of the Lord”
Noël is a French name tied directly to Christmas, with a long-established English form, Noel.
Original LatinNatalis
Meaning & origin
What it means
The name means “Christmas.” Its older Latin background is natālis diēs (Domini), “birthday of the Lord.”
Where it comes from
Noël comes through the Old French Christmas words noel and nael from a Latin phrase referring to the Lord’s birthday.
How it developed
The development runs from the Latin expression for the Nativity to the Old French word for Christmas and then to the personal name. The English spelling usually drops the two dots over the e.
The story
Noël has often been chosen for children born around Christmas. Familiar carols have also helped keep its seasonal meaning recognizable.
Noël’s family of names
In English usage, Noël has a feminine form in Noelle. In English usage, Noël has an alternative spelling in Noel. In English usage, Noël has a related form in Noel.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Noël has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Noël comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Natalisolder form · Latin
- Noellefeminine form · English
- نائلequivalent
- НоэльRussian
- ܢܘܐܝܠborrowing · aii
- Noyécognate · Walloon
- Nollaigcognate · Irish
- Naëlequivalent
Show 6 moreShow fewer
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Noël
- Noël CowardEnglish playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer (1899–1973)
- Noël Milarew OdingarChadian politician1932–2007
- Noël RoquevertFrench actor (1892-1973)
- Noël LiétaerFrench footballer (1908-1941)
- Noël Martin Joseph de NeckerBelgian physician and botanist (1730-1793)
- Noël van 't EndDutch judokaborn 1991
- Noël du FailFrench writer and councillor1520–1591
- Noël ForéBelgian road bicycle racer (1932–1994)
- Noël MamèreFrench politicianborn 1948
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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