Santa Claus is the Gift Bringer. He has different names in different countries as given below:
The most famous name of our Father Xmas is Santa Claus. However, every country has also given a unique name to him in their local language.
It is so interesting to know all the names of The Gift Bringer across the globe.
Here I have compiled a full list of names by which Santa Claus is known around the world. He is associated with gifts and hence in English, he is also known as Gift bringer.
This list is sorted in alphabetical order of countries.
- Afghanistan: Baba Chaghaloo
- Albania: Babadimri
- Armenia: Gaghant Baba / Kaghand Papa (Father Christmas or Father New Year)
- Austria: Christkind (a little angel like a person)
- Azerbaijan: Şaxta baba (Grandfather Frost)
- Belarus: Sviaty Mikalaj / Святы Мікалай (St. Nicholas) & Dzied Maroz / Дзед Мароз (Grandfather Frost)
- Belgium: Sinterklaas/St. Niklaas (Flemish) or Saint Nicholas (Walloon) & Père Noël (Father Christmas)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Djeda Mraz (Grandfather Frost)
- Brazil: Papai Noel (Father Christmas) & Bom Velhinho (Good Old Man)
- Bulgaria: Дядо Коледа / Dyado Koleda (Grandfather Christmas)
- Chile: Viejito Pascuero (Christmas old man)
- China: Sheng dan lao ren (Traditional: 聖誕老人, Simplified: 圣诞老人; means Old Christmas Man)
- Colombia: Niño Dios (Baby Jesus)
- Costa Rica: Niño dios (Child God, meaning Jesus) & Colacho (another name for St. Nicholas)
- Croatia: Djed Božičnjak (Grandfather Christmas)
- Czechia / Czech Republic: Svatý Mikuláš (St. Nicholas) and Ježíšek (the Christ child)
- Denmark: Julemanden (Christmas Man)
- Ecuador: Papa Noel
- Egypt: Baba Noël
- Estonia: Jõuluvana (Yule Elder)
- Ethiopia: Amharic: Yágena Abãt (Christmas Father)
- Finland: Santa Claus (well he does live in Lapland in Finland!) or Joulupukki
- France: Père Noël (Father Christmas)
- Georgia: თოვლის ბაბუა, თოვლის პაპა / Tovlis Babua, Tovlis Papa (Snow Grandfather)
- Germany: Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) & Christkind (a little angel like person)
- Greece: Aghios Vassilis / Άγιος Βασίλης (Saint Basil)
- Haiti: Tonton Nwèl
- Hungary: Mikulás (Nicholas) / Télapó (Old Man Winter) & Jézuska (the Christ child)
- Iceland: Jólasveinn (Yule Man) & Jólasveinarnir (The Yule Lads)
- India: Hindi: Christmas Baba, Urdu: Baba Christmas (Father Christmas), Telugu: Thatha (Christmas old man), Tamil: Christmas Thaathaa, Marathi: Natal Bua (Christmas Elder Man)
- Indonesia: Sinterklas
- Iran: Baba Noel
- Iraq: Baba Noel / Vader Kersfees
- Ireland: San Nioclás’ (Saint Nicholas) & Daidí na Nollag (Father Christmas)
- Italy: Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) or La Befana (an old woman) or The Three Kings (parts of northern Italy)
- Japan: サンタさん、サンタクロース santa-san (Mr Santa) & Hoteiosho (A Japanese god of good fortune – not really related to Christmas)
- Latvia: Ziemassvētku vecītis (Christmas old man)
- Lithuania: Senis Šaltis (Old Man Frost) & Kalėdų Senelis (Christmas Grandfather)
- Lebanon: Baba Noël
- Macedonia: Дедо Мраз / Dedo Mraz
- Malta: San Niklaw (St. Nicholas)
- Mexico: El Niñito Dios (baby Jesus), Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men) & Santo Clós (Santa Claus)
- Mongolia: Uvliin Uvuu or Uvliin Uvgun (Winter Grandpa or Winter Old Man)
- The Netherlands: Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) & Kerstman (Christmas Man)
- Norway: Julenissen (Santa Claus) or ‘Nisse’ (Small Gnomes)
- Pakistan: Christmas Baba
- Peru: Papá Noel
- Philippines: Santa Klaus
- Poland: Swiety Mikolaj (St. Nicholas)
- Portugal: Pai Natal (Father Christmas)
- Puerto Rico: The Three Kings / Magi
- Romania: Sfantul Nicolae (St Nicholas), Moş Nicolae (Old Man Nicholas), Moş Crăciun (Old Man Christmas), Moş Gerilă (Old Man Frost)
- Russia: Дед Мороз / Ded Morez (Grandfather Frost) / Dedoushka (Grandfather in Russian) or Babushka (an old woman – although this is ‘western’ than actually Russian!)
- Serbia: Дедa Мрaз / Deda Mraz (Grandfather Frost), Божић Бата / Božić Bata (Christmas Brother)
- Slovakia: Svätý Mikuláš (Saint Nicholas) / Ježíško (the Christ child)
- Slovenia: Sveti Miklavž or Sveti Nikolaj (Saint Nicholas) / Božiček or Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Winter); Božiček on December 24 and Dedek Mraz on December 31!
- South Africa: Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) / Kersvader (Father Christmas)
- South Korea: 산타 클로스 (santa kullosu), 산타 할아버지 (Santa Grandfather)
- Spain: Los tres Reyes Mages (The Three Magic King / Magi) & Papá Noel (Father Christmas); in Catalonia the gift bringer is Tió de Nadal, a Christmas log with a face on it!; In the Basque country, the gift bringer is Olentzero, a big man who wears a beret and smokes a pipe.
- Sri Lanka: Naththal Seeya
- Sweden: Jultomten (Santa) & Nissar / Tomte (Christmas Gnomes/Elves)
- Switzerland: Samichlaus (St. Nicholas) or the baby Jesus or Befana (South Switzerland) or the Three Kings
- Syria: Baba Noël
- Tajikistan: Бобо Барфи / Bobo Barfi (Grandpa Snow)
- Turkey: Noel Baba (Father Christmas)
- Ukraine: Svyatyy Mykolay (St. Nicholas) & Did Moroz / Дід Мороз (Grandfather Frost)
- United Kingdom: Father Christmas (inter-changeable with Santa Claus), Wales: Siôn Corn (Chimney John)
- USA: Santa Claus, Hawaii: Kanakaloka
- Uzbekistan: Qor bobo (Grandfather Snow – more related to New Year’s Eve than Christmas)
- Venezuela: San Nicolás (St. Nicholas) & Niño Jesús (Baby Jesus)
- Vietnam: Ông già Noel (Christmas old man)
Last Updated : 09 October, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
What do you think?
1
There are so many interesting names for Santa Claus, I had no idea!
Learning about these different names is truly eye-opening.
Yes! It’s fascinating how many different names there are for a single figure.
This information opens up a whole new world of holiday traditions I was unaware of.
It’s like embarking on a journey around the globe just through these names.
The diversity of names for Santa Claus is a testament to the beauty of cultural variation.
Absolutely, it’s an affirmation of the value of cultural diversity.
It’s a celebration of the uniqueness of every cultural heritage.
This is an extraordinary glimpse into the myriad ways Santa Claus is envisioned worldwide.
Absolutely, it’s a window into the global landscape of festive customs.
It’s a reminder of the vast tapestry of global traditions that enrich the human experience.
This is a valuable insight into the ways different cultures celebrate the holiday season.
It’s a reflection of how communities around the world find joy in different expressions of tradition.
Definitely, it adds an enriching layer to the concept of Santa Claus.
I’m amazed by the amount of different names attributed to Santa Claus in various countries.
It really highlights the rich tapestry of global folklore.
This list is a great resource for understanding the diversity of holiday traditions.
The global perspective on this iconic figure is truly enlightening.
Absolutely, it provides an insight into the universality of the holiday spirit.
I never realized there were so many variations of Santa Claus around the world. This is amazing!
It’s incredible to see how this figure has been adapted in various cultures.
The cultural diversity reflected in these names showcases the richness of human traditions.
Absolutely, it’s a testament to the common threads that bind us all together.
It’s a reminder of the interconnectedness of global cultures through shared festivities.