Just A Bunch Of Reindeer Names To Use (Including A Rundown of Santa's Reindeer)
Reindeer seem magical and Christmasy thanks almost entirely to one very specific poem that we now know as “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.” However, it was originally called “A Visit From St. Nicholas” — and, in that poem by Clement Clarke Moore, we not only fully saw Santa but also learned that eight flying reindeer drew his sleigh. Moreover, we even discovered that Santa’s trusty caribou steed had reindeer names! Later, we got to know Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (who saved Christmas), and, eventually, we met his girlfriend, Clarice. Even later still, we met Olive… the “other reindeer.” Which you probably haven’t heard about, even if you’re a Christmas trivia wiz. But, we’ll get back to that!
Of course, we know that not all reindeer are magical and that they don’t all live at Santa’s stables in the North Pole. Reindeer inhabit many an arctic or subarctic environment. As a matter of fact, if you live in Alaska or across the breadth of Canada, you might have a reindeer (or whole reindeer family) that visits your own backyard! Or maybe your kid just has a reindeer stuffie. Shoot, if you spot a super cute deer in your yard, what’s stopping your little one from giving it a reindeer name, too?
Whatever kind of reindeer populates your life, your kid is no doubt looking to name it. We thought we’d offer suggestions by looking at popular reindeer names as well as unique reindeer name options.
Santa’s Reindeer Names
Santa’s official reindeer from “A Visit From St. Nicholas” have some very distinctive names, some of which even hold interesting meanings. For instance, did you know that Donner and Blitzen are derived from the Dutch words for thunder and lightning? There are also deviations in how you spell or pronounce those names. Calling them Donner, Donder, Dunder, Blitzen, or Blixem would all be technically correct. Which versions does your family use? Rudolph came a little later, but he’s been around so long that we still consider him part of the original team:
- Dasher
- Dancer
- Prancer
- Vixen
- Comet
- Cupid
- Donner
- Blitzen
- Rudolph
Other Popular Reindeers Belonging to Santa
“Uhhh. What?” Yeah, man! In one of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movies, you meet another vital member of good old Kris Kringle‘s reindeer team. Her name is Clarice, and among other interesting attributes, she turns out to be Rudolph’s girlfriend! While you may be familiar with Clarice, you probably only know about Olive if you have a kid. Olive is a play on how we sing “Rudolph,” and a story turned into a picture book several years ago. Instead of “all of the other reindeer,” it’s “Olive, the other reindeer.” It’s a really cute book written by J. Otto Seibold, which later got the movie treatment. Plot twist: Olive isn’t a reindeer at all! But she still manages to save the day. For that reason, we’re including her in our list because we think she deserves the honor of any reindeer being named after her.
- Olive
- Clarice
Other Reindeer Names
Any of Santa’s reindeer names would be perfect for any other reindeer out there. After all, there are thousands of Deirdres and millions of Saras. But what if you want to stay “on-theme” while still coming up with something a little more original? We have a ton of ideas to help you out.
Deer-Themed Options
- Actaeon
Meaning: A hunter
- Awinita
Meaning: Young deer
- Ayal/Ayala/Ayalon
Meaning: Place of deer
- Bambi
Meaning: Child
- Buck
Meaning: Deer or cowboy
- Ceren
Meaning: Baby gazelle or star
- Daimhin
Meaning: Servant or little deer
- Darby/Derby
Meaning: A park with deer
- Devin
Meaning: Fawn or poet
- Devnet
Meaning: Young deer
- Dorcas
Meaning: Gazelle or abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy
- Elain
Meaning: Fawn
- Fawna
Meaning: Young deer
- Hartley
Meaning: Stag or clearing
- Herschel
Meaning: Deer
- Hjort
Meaning: Stag
- Isi
Meaning: Consecrated to God, or deer
- Leola
Meaning: Loyal, faithful, or lion
- Niabi
Meaning: “Fawn spared by the hunter”
- Ofra
Meaning: Fawn
- Oisin
Meaning: Small deer
- Oprah
Meaning: “Place of dust” or young deer or fawn
- Oscar/Osgar
Meaning: Spear of the gods
- Osheen
Meaning: Shining or beautiful
- Rasha
Meaning: Young Gazelle
- Roscoe
Meaning: Doe wood or roebuck copse
- Sachie
Meaning: Roebuck leap
- Shika
Meaning: Gentle deer
- Tabby
Meaning: Gazelle
- Tibby
Meaning: Beautiful or pledged to God
- Tegan
Meaning: Fair, darling, or loved one
- Toru
Meaning: Persistent or clear
- Zevi
Meaning: “My wolf”
- Zibia
Meaning: Doe
Christmas-Themed Names
- Angel/Angelina
- Bell/Belle
- Bethlehem/Beth
- Candy
- Carol
- Christine
- Christmas
- December
- Emmanuelle
- Epiphany
- Faith
- Frankincense
- Gloria
- Goldie
- Holly
- Izar
- Jingle
- Joy
- Mary/Maria
- Merry
- Miracle
- Myrrh
- Natalia
- Nicholas
- Noel
- Peace
- Promise
- Seraphina
- Star
- Stella
- Yule
Winter-Themed Names
- Alba
Meaning: Dawn or white
- Aspen
Meaning: Shaking poplar tree
- Bianca/Blanca/Blanche
Meaning: White or pure
- Bylur
Meaning: Snowstorm
- Branch
Meaning: Paw or extension
- Chan
Meaning: Snow or shining
- Demetria
Meaning: Follower of Demeter
- Douglas
Meaning: Dark or black
- Edur
Meaning: Snow
- Eira
Meaning: Snow
- Eirwen
Meaning: Snow, fair, white, blessed, or holy
- Elsa
Meaning: “God is my oath”
- Fanna
Meaning: Snow drift
- Flykra
Meaning: Snow flake
- Fraser
Meaning: Of the forest men
- Frost
Meaning: Born at the time of frost
- Frostine
Meaning: Snow
- Guinevere
Meaning: White ghost phantom
- Haukea
Meaning: White snow
- Haunani
Meaning: Beautiful snow
- Ivy
Meaning: Climbing vine plant
- Janara
Meaning: Rising sun
- January
Meaning: The God of beginnings
- Kari
Meaning: Pure
- Lixue
Meaning: Beautiful snow
- Lumi
Meaning: Beautiful snow
More Winter-Themed Names
- Miyuki
- Nas
- Natasha
- Nevada
- Neve
- Nieves
- North
- Olaf
- Olwen
- Quilo
- Robin
- Skadi
- Snowball
- Snowy
- Stormy
- Tuhin
- Tushar
- Vail
- Viola
- Warrin
- Whittaker
- Winter
- Wren
- Xuĕ
- Yukina
- Zane
This article was originally published on
