Santa Claus in Other Languages: Names in 41 Countries

What is Santa called in other languages? In Mandarin he is Shèngdàn Lǎorén ("Old Man Christmas"), in Arabic Baba Noel, in Vietnamese Ông già Noel, in Italian Babbo Natale and in Greek Agios Vasilis, Saint Basil.¹²

That matters in Australia. Most of us (72.0% in 2021) spoke only English at home, which leaves roughly a quarter of families using something else, and Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Punjabi lead the list.³ Plenty of kids hear a different name for Santa from Nan or Yiayia than the one they hear at school.

Below is a table of 41 countries and languages with the name, its literal meaning and a note. Use the search box to jump to your family's language.

Languages Australian kids hear at home

The 2021 Census puts Mandarin first among languages other than English at home (2.7% of people), then Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%) and Punjabi (0.9%).⁴ Greek is not in that top five, but it was still sixth in the Greek Herald's reading of the data, with 229,643 speakers, about 8,000 fewer than in 2016.⁵

We could not find a Census figure for Italian or for languages such as Hindi, Spanish and Korean in the sources we opened, so they are left out of the ranking.

Santa in other languages: 41 countries

Compiled from Wikipedia's list of Christmas gift-bringers¹ and the names Wikipedia uses for Santa Claus in other languages.² Many places have several gift-bringers side by side, depending on region and family. The list gives few dates, so we only show those it does.

Chinese: Shèngdàn Lǎorén and 聖誕老人

In China the name is Shèngdàn Lǎorén, "Old Man Christmas".¹ In Hong Kong and among Cantonese families the characters 聖誕老人 are the same in meaning, but you say them quite differently. If your child learns to write them at Saturday Chinese school, they can read Santa's name in both.

Arabic: Baba Noel

Arabic speakers say Baba Noel (بابا نويل), "Father Noel". The Lebanese entry in the gift-bringers list gives Baba Noel alongside the French Père Noël.¹²

Vietnamese: Ông già Noel

Vietnamese children know him as Ông già Noel. Vietnamese sources trace the name to the French Père Noël, shortened to ông già Noel (roughly "old man Noel").⁶ One thing they have in common with Australian Santas: in Vietnam he is often pictured on a motorbike, because there are few chimneys. Here, a ute or a surfboard is just as likely.

Punjabi and Hindi: Santa Claus

Punjabi was the fastest-growing of the top five, up from 0.6% to 0.9% of Australians between 2016 and 2021.³ The gift-bringers list shows Santa Claus written in Punjabi script, and in Hindi both Saanta kloz and a name for Saint Nicholas.¹ Most families simply say Santa.

Greek and Italian: Agios Vasilis and Babbo Natale

Greek families may talk about Agios Vasilis, Saint Basil, rather than Saint Nicholas.¹ Italian kids have Babbo Natale, and on 5 January night comes La Befana, a kindly witch on a broomstick who brings sweets to good children and coal to naughty ones.⁷

In Spain and in Latin America the same date belongs to the Three Kings, who bring presents on 6 January.¹

Where Santa is not one man in a red suit

In Iceland there are 13 Yule Lads, one arriving each night from 12 December.⁸ In Serbia and North Macedonia the presents come from Deda Mraz and Dedo Mraz, "Grandfather Frost".² In the Netherlands Sinterklaas arrives in early December and the Kerstman is a separate Christmas figure.¹

A Christmas Eve that is already tomorrow

Because Australia is far ahead of Europe and the Americas, grandparents overseas are often still on Christmas Eve while we are already into 25 December. On 24 December, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart are on AEDT (UTC+11), Brisbane on AEST (UTC+10), Adelaide on ACDT (UTC+10:30), Darwin on ACST (UTC+9:30) and Perth on AWST (UTC+8). Ask the relatives what they call Santa, then hold a call and compare names.

For where Santa is on the night, see our Santa tracker. The history of the names is in St Nicholas vs Santa Claus, and the question many kids ask next is is Santa real?.

Santa in other languages: common questions

What is Santa called in Mandarin and Cantonese?

In Mandarin he is Shèngdàn Lǎorén, "Old Man Christmas". Cantonese uses the same written characters (聖誕老人) but says them differently.

What do Vietnamese children call Santa?

Ông già Noel, which roughly means "old man Noel". Vietnamese sources link the name to the French Père Noël from the colonial era.

What is Santa called in Arabic?

Baba Noel (بابا نويل), "Father Noel". In Lebanon the French Père Noël is used as well.

Who brings the presents in Greece?

Agios Vasilis, Saint Basil, rather than Saint Nicholas. Greek is still among the most spoken languages at home in Australia.

How do you say Santa in Italian and Spanish?

Babbo Natale in Italian and Papá Noel in Spanish, both roughly "Daddy Christmas". In Spain and Italy there are also the Three Kings and La Befana in early January.

What is Santa called in Māori?

Hana Kōkō, the Māori form of Santa Claus, which you may hear in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Does it matter what my child calls Santa?

No. Children happily use the name their family uses. Our Santa video greets your child by name in English, whatever else is spoken at home.

Sources

1. 1Wikipedia: List of Christmas and winter gift-bringers by country (en.wikipedia.org)
2. 2Wikipedia: Santa Claus (names of the article in other languages) (en.wikipedia.org)
3. 3ABS: 2021 Census QuickStats, Australia (abs.gov.au)
4. 4ABS: Cultural diversity of Australia, Census 2021 (abs.gov.au)
5. 5The Greek Herald: Census 2021, less people speak Greek at home (greekherald.com.au)
6. 6Vinpearl: Ong gia Noel co that khong (in Vietnamese) (vinpearl.com)
7. 7Wikipedia: Befana (en.wikipedia.org)
8. 8Wikipedia: Yule Lads (en.wikipedia.org)