Santa Claus in Other Languages: Names Canadian Kids Hear

Santa Claus in other languages is Père Noël in French, Papá Noel in Spanish, Babbo Natale in Italian, Shèngdàn Lǎorén in Mandarin and Baba Noel in Arabic. In Canada you can hear most of these names on the same street, because 12.7% of people speak a language other than English or French most often at home.¹

Many of these names are not translations at all. They belong to different gift-bringers with their own stories and their own days, from St. Nicholas on December 6 to the Three Kings on January 6.²

Below you will find the names Canadian kids hear at home and at school, a quick pronunciation list, a searchable table of more than 35 countries and a few surprises from across Canada.

Santa's names in the languages spoken at home in Canada

In the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada counted how many people speak each language most often at home. Here are the biggest ones next to the name of Santa in that language.¹

Names for Mandarin, Arabic, Persian and Hindi come from a language-learning guide.⁴ French is confirmed in another.⁵ For Punjabi we could not find a source for a standard name, so we do not print one. Many families simply say "Santa Claus." The Philippine name comes from the Wikipedia list of gift-bringers.² Customs differ from family to family, so ask your child's grandparents what they call him.

How to say Santa Claus in different languages

Here are the names your kids are most likely to meet in a French immersion class, a picture book or a classmate's family. The pronunciations are rough guides for English speakers.

Ukrainian families may know Did Moroz (Grandfather Frost), the same figure as Russia's Ded Moroz.⁶ Polish families say Święty Mikołaj, which is also the name of St. Nicholas.⁴

Père Noël and the French side of Canada

French is spoken most often at home by 7.0 million people in Canada, 19.2% of the population. In Quebec that is 6.5 million people, or 77.5% of the province.¹ For these families Santa is Père Noël, Father Christmas, the same name used in France.⁵ Kids in French immersion programs outside Quebec learn it in the first weeks of December, so it is common to hear both names in one house.

Santa Claus in other countries: the full list

Type a country or a name into the search box to filter the table. Several names in one row mean that more than one gift-bringer is common there, often on different days.

The names come from the Wikipedia list of Christmas gift-bringers.² Customs vary from family to family, so read it as the most common tradition, not a rule.

Is there an Indigenous name for Santa?

We looked for a reliable source and found only one small one: an Inuktitut Christmas album released in Iqaluit in 2022 includes a song called "Saanti Kalaasi," which is Santa Claus written in Inuktitut.⁷ That is a song title, not a dictionary entry, and we found no reliable source for Cree or Ojibwe, so we have left them out rather than guess. If your family speaks an Indigenous language, your elders are the best source.

Santa's mailbox speaks many languages

Canada Post has run its Santa Letter-writing Program since 1982. In 2022, about 10,000 volunteers answered 1.4 million letters in more than 40 languages plus braille.³ Letters go to Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada.⁸ Our guide to Santa Claus's address explains how to write and when to mail it.

When do kids around the world get their gifts?

Christmas morning is not the only gift day. In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas brings his presents on the evening of December 5.⁹ Iceland's kids get small gifts in a shoe from the Yule Lads. Russia's Ded Moroz comes on New Year's Eve.⁶ In Italy, La Befana flies on January 5, and in Spain and Mexico the Three Kings bring gifts on January 6.²

Why is Santa a goat in Finland?

Joulupukki literally means "Christmas goat" in Finnish. The name goes back to old customs of men dressing up in goat costumes, and the character later got a Santa-like suit and a home in Lapland.¹⁰

Papa Noël in Cajun Louisiana

In Cajun Louisiana, Papa Noël arrives in a pirogue pulled by eight alligators.¹¹ Compare that with the team in our guide to Santa's reindeer names.

Bringing world Santas into your holiday

Kids love this topic. Pick one language a night in December, look it up in the table and try to say the name out loud. Ask a grandparent for the name they used as a child, or put out a shoe on December 5 like a Dutch family.

Santa in other languages: frequently asked questions

How do you say Santa Claus in French?

Père Noël, which means Father Christmas. It is the name used in Quebec and by French-speaking families across Canada. About 7.0 million people in Canada speak French most often at home.

What do Canadian kids call Santa at home?

It depends on the family. Many say Santa Claus, French-speaking families say Père Noël, and families who speak Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish or Persian at home often use the name from that language, such as Shèngdàn Lǎorén or Baba Noel.

How do you say Santa Claus in Mandarin and Cantonese?

In Mandarin he is Shèngdàn Lǎorén (圣诞老人). In Cantonese the same characters (聖誕老人) are read Sing daan lou yan. Both mean "Christmas Old Man."

What is Santa called in Inuktitut?

We could not find a dictionary-level source. One Inuktitut Christmas album released in Iqaluit in 2022 has a track titled "Saanti Kalaasi," which is Santa Claus written in Inuktitut, but that is a song title, not an official term.

Does Santa write back in languages other than English?

Yes. In 2022 volunteers at Canada Post answered 1.4 million letters to Santa in more than 40 languages, plus braille.

Where does the name Santa Claus come from?

From Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for St. Nicholas. In early New York the word slowly became "Santa Claus." Our guide to St. Nicholas vs. Santa Claus has the full story.

Sources

1. 1Statistics Canada: The Daily, Census of Population 2021, languages (Aug. 17, 2022) (statcan.gc.ca)
2. 2Wikipedia: List of Christmas and winter gift-bringers (wikipedia.org)
3. 3Canada Post: 2022 Annual Report, community (Santa Letter-writing Program) (canadapost-postescanada.ca)
4. 4Lingopie: Different names for Santa Claus (lingopie.com)
5. 5Babbel Magazine: Santa Claus names around the world (babbel.com)
6. 6Wikipedia: Ded Moroz (wikipedia.org)
7. 7Katilvik (citing Nunatsiaq News, Dec. 2022): Iqaluit singer releases Inuktitut Christmas album (katilvik.com)
8. 8CBC News: How will the Canada Post strike affect letters to Santa? (Nov. 2024) (cbc.ca)
9. 9Wikipedia: Sinterklaas (wikipedia.org)
10. 10Wikipedia: Joulupukki (wikipedia.org)
11. 11Wikipedia: Papa Noël (wikipedia.org)