Noel or Noël is a given name, often given to both girls and boys born over the Christmas period.[1]
| Pronunciation | English: /ˈnoʊəl/ NOH-əl French: [nɔɛl] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unisex |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | French |
| Meaning | Christmas, Christmas carol |
| Region of origin | Europe |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Nowell, Noelle |
Noel derives from the Old French "Noël", meaning "Christmas". It is a variant (and later replacement) of "nael", which itself comes from the Latin natalis, meaning "birth". The term natalis dies (birth day) was long used in Church Latin in reference to the birthday of Christ—or in other words: Christmas. In modern English, a Noel can also refer to a Christmas carol.[2][3] The spelling with a diaeresis over the "e" (Noël) is used to indicate that the two vowels are pronounced separately rather than as a diphthong.[4]
Other nicknames and modern variations include Noele, Noeline, Nowell, Noela, Noell, Noella, Noelene, Noeleen, and Noelle/Noëlle (French, feminine).[5]
People
edit- Noël (singer), American disco singer
- Noel Agazarian (1916–1941), British pilot
- Noël Atom (b. 2005), German footballer
- Noel Barrionuevo (b. 1984), Argentine female professional field hockey player and Olympian
- Noel Bauldeweyn (c. 1480–1513), Franco-Flemish composer
- Noel Blanc (b. 1938), American voice actor, son of Mel Blanc
- Noel Cabangon (b. 1963), Filipino singer
- Noel Chavasse (1884–1917), British medical officer and decorated hero
- Noel Clarke (b. 1975), English actor and writer
- Noël Coward (1899–1973), British actor, playwright, and popular music composer
- Noel Devine (b. 1988), American football player
- Noel Dyson (1916–1995), British actress
- Noel Edmonds (b. 1948), British television presenter and DJ
- Noel Emmanuel (b. 1960), 6th Bishop of Trincomalee
- Noel Scott Engel (1943–2019), birth name of Scott Walker, American singer
- Noel Fielding (b. 1973), British comedian and television actor
- Noel Fisher (b. 1984), Canadian actor
- Noel Francis (c. 1906–1959), American actress
- Noel Gallagher (b. 1967), English musician
- Noel V. Ginnity (fl. 1957–2020's), Irish comedian
- Noël Godin (b. 1945), Belgian writer
- Noel Harrison (1934–2013), British actor and singer
- Noel Hood (1909–1979), British actress
- Noel Jenke (1946–2020), American football player
- Noel King (b. 1956), Republic of Ireland U-21s football manager
- Noel LaMontagne (b. 1977), American football player
- Noel Langley (1911–1980), South African novelist, screenwriter and director
- Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes (1878–1956), British philanthropist and social leader, heroine of the Titanic disaster
- Noel MacNeal (b. 1961), American puppeteer
- Noel Manoukian (1938–2019), justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada
- Noël Martin (1959–2020), British activist and neo-Nazi attack victim
- Noel Neill (1920–2016), American actress
- Noel Pagan or Noel, American freestyle musician
- Noel Paul Stookey (b. 1937), American folk musician
- Noel Redding (1945–2003), English guitarist and bassist
- Noël Regney (1922–2002), French songwriter
- Noel Rosa (1910–1937), Brazilian songwriter and musician
- Noel Rosal (b. 1964), Filipino politician
- Noel Stanton (1926–2009), English religious leader, founder of the Jesus Army
- Noel Stockdale (1920–2004), English businessman
- Noel Streatfeild (1895–1986), British author (Ballet Shoes)
- Noel Sullivan (b. 1980), Welsh singer and actor
- Noel Toy (1918–2003), American burlesque performer and actress
- Noel Thatcher, British Paralympic athlete
- Noel Walsh (1935–2020), Irish Gaelic footballer, administrator, selector, manager and member of the Defence Forces
- Noel Whelan (b. 1974), English professional footballer
- Noel Whelan (1968-2019), Irish politician and psephologist
- Noël Wells (b. 1986), American comedian and actress
- Noel Wimalasena (1914–1994), Sri Lankan Sinhala diplomat, 1st Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka
Fictional characters
edit- Noel Crane, a character from the TV series Felicity
- Noël (comics), a character and comics series by André Franquin
- Noel Gruber a character in the musical Ride the Cyclone
- Noel (mermaid), in the manga and anime series Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
- Noel K. Ehrlichkeit, in the video game Triangle Heart
- Noel Vermillion in the fighting game series BlazBlue
- Noel Kreiss, in the video game Final Fantasy XIII-2
- Noël Kannagi, in the anime Sora No Woto
- Noël Takao, in the Super Sentai series Lupinranger VS Patranger
- Noel Shempsky, in the television series Frasier
- Noel Seeker, in the video game series The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
In names for Santa Claus
edit- Père Noël, the French equivalent to Santa Claus, literally translated "Father Christmas"
- Papá Noel, the Spanish and Latin American equivalent
- Pare Noel, the Catalan-speaking regions' equivalent
- Papai Noel, the Brazilian equivalent
- Baba Noel, the Chaldean and Arabic equivalent
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Meaning, origin and history of the name Noël". Retrieved 2023-12-23.
- ^ "Noel Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster".
- ^ Curzan, Anne (2003). Gender Shifts in the History of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-82007-3
- ^ "Introducing the Diaeresis". 10 October 2016.
- ^ "French Nouns Gender - Feminine Endings". 14 September 2010.
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