Noel (given name)

Noel or Noël has been in use as both a given name and a surname since the 12th century. It has been traditionally given to children born over the Christmas period, and most early baptisms of the name took place in December or early January. The name Noel has been given to both boys and girls on this holiday since the Middle Ages. According to the US Social Security Administration, girls named Noel ranked #587 in popularity in 1987. The diaeresis (¨) can be used over the e and is used when there are two vowels next to one another that should be pronounced as separate syllables instead of a diphthong. It should not be confused with the umlaut (also two dots), a diacritical mark that represents a change in the pronunciation of the letter. Other nicknames and modern variations for girls named Noel are: Noele, Noeline, Nowell, Noela, Noell, Noella, Noelene, Noeleen, and the French specific feminine spelling distinguished by the adding the "le", Noelle. 
Noel derives from the old French Noël "Christmas", a variant (and later a replacement) of nael, which itself derives from the Latin natalis "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 be used to refer to a Christmas carol.