Noel

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Noël in NL Netherlands.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 9 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Noel is also recorded as 9 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name1.3M records spelled Noel197 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, France, Philippines, United Kingdom

  Languages: English, French, German

  Also written Noelle, Neill, Noëlle, Noël, Nolle

• Hungarian given name162K records spelled Noel4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Hungary, Slovenia, United States, New Zealand

  Also written Noël, Noél, Nóel

• a separate given name55K records spelled Noel9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, United Kingdom, Ecuador

  Also written Noël, Noe͏̈l, Nöel, Noêl, Noèl

• Swahili given name33K records spelled Noel3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Philippines, Kenya, United States, Tanzania

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho

  Also written Noël

• Finnish given name23K records spelled Noel7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, United States, Estonia, United Kingdom

  Languages: Finnish, Estonian

  Also written Nõel, Noël, Nöel, Noél

• Indonesian given name13K records spelled Noel8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Philippines, United States, Malaysia

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written Noël, Noèl, Ñoel, Noél, Nôël

• Albanian given name10K records spelled Noel3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Albania, United States, Italy, United Kingdom

  Also written Noël, Nòel

• Polish given name8.8K records spelled Noel35 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland, United States, Czechia, Russia

  Languages: Polish, Russian, Czech

  Also written Ноэль, Noelle, Ноел, Ноель, Ноэл

• Croatian given name5.3K records spelled Noel18 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Croatia, United States, Philippines, United Kingdom

  Languages: Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian

  Also written Ноел, Noël, Nöel, Noél, Nöël

74 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Noel is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Spanish, French form of Natal, from Old French noël < Latin natalis "Christmas/day of birth".

  as a name·Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios

• In Irish, French for ‘Christmas’; Irish Nollaig translates it exactly. Popular in Ireland in the mid-20th century, now declining.

  as a name·Irish first names

• In English, from OFr noël ‘Christmas’, a name for one born at that festival; first attested Noel 1130 P (London)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, some particular connection with the Christmas season, such as owing the particular feudal duty of providing a yule-log to the lord of the manor, or having given a memor¬ able performance as the Lord of Misrule; see also Yule.

  as a name·A dictionary of surnames

• In French, Origine hébraïque, signifie « Dieu avec nous ».

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Joseph Needhamb. 1900GBnot in their usual nameBritish biochemist, historian and sinologist (1900–1995)
• Noel Langleyb. 1911ZASouth African writer (1911-1980)
• Keith Emersonb. 1944GBnot in their usual nameBritish recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944–2016)
• Tim Bentinckb. 1953AUnot in their usual nameEnglish actor and writer
• Richard Marxb. 1963USnot in their usual nameAmerican singer and songwriter
• Noel Gugliemib. 1970USAmerican actor
• Noel Clarkeb. 1975GBBritish actor and filmmaker
• Noel Valladaresb. 1977HNHonduran footballer
• Kim Kardashianb. 1980USnot in their usual nameAmerican media personality, businesswoman, model and actress (born 1980)
• Noel Fisherb. 1984CACanadian actor

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,830 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Noel?

We estimate roughly 111 thousand people bear Noel (counting its spellings and scripts) across 13 countries in our records.

In which country does Noel have the most bearers?

Noel is most frequently recorded in France, where it is most often spelled noel.

How common is Noel compared with other names?

In France, Noel is the 326th most common given name of 711,207 given names recorded there.

Is Noel a male or female name?

Noel is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Noel mean?

Recorded meaning: medieval nickname for someone with a connection with Christmas