girl's name
Noelle
no-EL
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 76,638
the United States
#202
2025 births
Noelle is a girl's name of French origin meaning "Christmas." It comes from the Latin natalis, birth — the same root as Natalia, so the two names mean the same thing by different routes.
- Noelle is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,507 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,200 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1927.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Noelle over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1920s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 12 |
| 1930s | 58 |
| 1940s | 218 |
| 1950s | 290 |
| 1960s | 2,309 |
| 1970s | 3,507 |
| 1980s | 4,602 |
| 1990s | 5,984 |
| 2000s | 6,987 |
| 2010s | 11,923 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,682 |
What Noelle means
Noelle means Christmas, or born at Christmas. The French noël descends from the Latin dies natalis, the day of birth, which in Church usage meant the Nativity specifically rather than any birthday.
Where Noelle comes from
Noelle is the feminine of the French Noël, from the Latin natalis, of birth, by way of dies natalis Domini, the day of the Lord's birth. It was given to children born at Christmas, exactly as Natalia was in the Eastern churches — the two names have the same root and the same occasion, arriving in English through French and Russian respectively. The word noel entered English as a carol refrain in the fifteenth century, which is why The First Noel sounds archaic rather than French.
Noelle in use
Our data shows Noelle peaking in 2025 and still rising, at 202 in the United States against 717 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1927. It sits alongside Natalia in our data — one Latin root reaching English twice, through two different languages, and ranking separately in each market.
How popular is Noelle?
In 2025, Noelle was given to 1,507 babies in the United States, ranking #202 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Noelle is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Noelle is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Noëlle | Noëlle is a rare spelling of Noelle, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 28,205 times, mostly in France. | 28,205 |
Names that peaked alongside Noelle
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Noelle also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Noelle over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Noelle
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Noelle in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Croatian
- Natalia
- Galician
- Natalia
- German
- Natalia
- Greek
- Natalia
- Italian
- Natalia
- Late Latin
- Natalia
- Latin
- Natalie
- Polish
- Natalia
- Serbo-Croatian
- Natalie
- Spanish
- Natalia
- Swedish
- Natalia
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Noelle
Sibling names for Noelle
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Noelle — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Noelle
What does the name Noelle mean?
Noelle means "Christmas," from the Latin natalis, birth.
Are Noelle and Natalia related?
Same root and same occasion — both mean born at Christmas, reaching English through French and Russian.
Is Noelle a Christmas name?
Directly. It was given to children born at Christmas, and the word noel entered English as a carol refrain.
How popular is the name Noelle?
In 2025, Noelle was given to 1,507 babies in the United States, ranking #202 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Noelle a girl's or a boy's name?
Noelle is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Noelle?
Noelle has 2 syllables.
When was Noelle most popular?
Noelle peaked in 2025, when 1,507 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Noelle?
Noelle is usually shortened to Ellie, Noa, Noel and Nelly.
Is Noelle a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Noelle currently ranks #202 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.