Among festive baby names the most popular are Mary and David.
There are no fewer than 11,303,734 girl babies worldwide called Mary. Amaryllis is the least festive baby girl name with only 1,275 babies having this name.
David is the most festive baby boy name with nearly 13,500,000 babies worldwide with this moniker. Like Santa’s reindeer, Comet is the least common baby boy name, belonging to just 254 boys worldwide.
Christmas is a season filled with joy, laughter, and merriment, so it’s no wonder many parents are quick to name their children something festive!
Fittingly, OnBuy.com wanted to find out the most popular festive-themed baby names of 2020. After trawling through thousands of festive baby names for boys and girls, and 5,675 parents and parents-to-be they can finally reveal the top 100 choices for new parents.
Top 10 festive baby girl names
No surprise that the most festive baby girl name is Mary. The name of Jesus’ mother is the 21st most common name worldwide with approximately 11,303,734 babies having this name. This parent pleaser is most common in the United States.
Gloria comes in second place with approximately 3,345,404 babies having this name, making it the 126th most common name worldwide. This name is taken from the word glory, which features in many Christmas carols and is also most popular in the United States.
In third place is Karen, which holds the meaning ‘pure’ and is also the name of the girl who returned Frosty the Snowman to the North Pole. This name has been given to approximately 3,049,118 baby girls and is the 151st most popular name worldwide.
Top 10 festive baby boy names
The most festive baby boy name is David which means ‘beloved’. David is the 14th most common male moniker worldwide, with approximately 13,431,089 babies holding this name. This popular baby name is most common in the United Sates.
Michael comes in second place with approximately 11,482,415 baby boys having this name, making it the 19th most common name in the world. This name derives from the Hebrew name Micha meaning ‘who is like God’.
In third place is Joseph, which also derives from Hebrew for ‘increase or addition’ and is the name of Jesus’ father. This name has been given to approximately 8,631,678 baby boys and is the 31st most common name worldwide –and is also most popular in the United States.
Why are parents choosing festive baby names?
Following this research, OnBuy.com were keen to uncover the reason behind choosing a festive baby name. Therefore, they surveyed 5,675 parents and parents-to-be to find out what they really think and found that almost 8 in 10 (78%) would consider giving their child a festive name, with only 22% wanting something non-seasonal. Of those wanting a festive name, a whopping 94% believe that giving their child a name with festive connotations would make people around them more cheerful. However, of the 22% who dislike seasonal names, 34% think they’re ‘tacky’, 21% think they’re ‘too mainstream’, and 11% think they’re ‘cringey’.
Of those considering giving their baby a festive name, their main reasons are as follows:
1. It is cheerful and joyous – 94%
2. It’s pretty – 23%
3. I simply like the meaning behind the name – 15%
4. I love anything Christmas – 14%
Of those not considering giving their baby a festive name, their reasons are as follows:
1. They’re tacky – 34%
2. They’re too mainstream – 21%
3. I don’t believe in it – 16%
4. It’s cringey – 11%
Methodology
1. OnBuy.com analysts trawled through thousands of festive baby names for boys and girls to find the top 100.
2. To find out which names are the most popular around the world, OnBuy experts used Forebears.io to collect the data.
3. OnBuy.com also surveyed 5,675 parents and parents-to-be in November 2020 to find out what they like about ‘festive names’, asking the following questions: Would you consider giving your child a festive name? If yes, do you think giving your child a name with connotations of Christmas will help them in life?, What is your main reason for considering a ‘festive’ baby name?, and what is your main reason for not considering a ‘festive’ baby name?.
Click on this link to read an excel spreadsheet with the full list of the top 50 baby names for girls and top 50 baby names for boys, along with their full meanings, popularity, and ranking.
This survey was undertaken by OnBuy.com
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