Some baby names seem simply well suited to the holiday season—but which of those is the most popular? According to some WhitePages.com data, Carol reigns supreme. There are more than one million Carols in the U.S., thanks in no small part to its reign in the top 10 names in the 1930s and 1940s. Alas, it hasn’t made such a big impact in the current generation, as it fell out of the top 1000 back in 2006. Interestingly, this used to be a boys’ name, and you may find it on the male side of your family tree a few generations back.
But what other monikers are in the top 10 most popular Christmas-themed baby names? Virginia (as in that famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” letter) has nearly 600,000 people with the name, followed by Holly, which has nearly 300,000 people bearing the name. (It’s also one of the ones in the top 10 that’s still relatively popular for girls.) The first purely boys’ name came in the 4th spot: Jesus (usually pronounced hay-SOOS) has been hovering in and out of the top 100 since the 1970s.
Here’s the full list, if you’re intrigued to see your other holiday-themed options!
1. Carol – 1,148,024
2. Virginia – 577,805
3. Holly – 298,910
4. Jesus – 284,001
5. Joy – 214,192
6. Noel – 71,816
7. Rudolph – 47,598
8. Merry – 14,226
9. Bell – 5,047
10. Claus – 1,614
One last fun fact: There is only one Kris Kringle in the U.S.—and he doesn’t live at the North Pole. (Perhaps Santa finally sprung for a summer house?)
Tell us: Did you keep the season in mind when you picked your child’s name? And would you give your winter baby a name like Snow or January?
If you’re still looking for a great baby name, check out our Baby Name Finder to help hook you up with the perfect one. And don’t forget to like In Name Only on Facebook to keep up with the very latest in baby names.
Image: Christmas baby by Alexey Losevich/Shutterstock.com
