No, Mrs. Claus doesn't have one official, universally accepted name; she's a figure of folklore, so different stories give her various names like Jessica, Gertrude, Mary, or Holly, while many traditions just call her Mrs. Claus, reflecting a charming Christmas mystery.
According to some North American sources, his original name was Kris Kringle before he changed his name to Santa Claus. Kris Kringle was a toymaker who married Jessica. Other names found for Mrs Claus are Mary Christmas, Gertrude, and Carol. This may be a good question to ask Santa when you write to him this year.
Some commonly cited names include Jessica, Mary, Anna, and Gertrude, but others like Layla, Amelia, and Bessie have also appeared in different tales. Jessica: Often portrayed as the wife of Kris Kringle in North American sources, she first appears in the 1970 film The Year Without a Santa Claus.
For decades, Santa was a cheerful but single man delivering presents to children. It wasn't until 1849 that it was first mentioned that Santa had a spouse in James Rees' "A Christmas Legend." And in 1851, Santa's spouse was officially referred to as "Mrs. Claus" by a student writer for the Yale Literary Review.
Santa, Mother Christmas, Mrs. Christmas, Mary Claus or Mary Christmas) is the wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in Western Christmas tradition.
Here are 11 different names for Santa Claus around the world
Calling #464646 (which spells #HOHOHO) from a Telstra public payphone in Australia connects you to a free, interactive hotline to speak with Santa Claus, a popular Christmas tradition that runs annually until Christmas Eve, allowing kids to share wish lists and chat with the North Pole.
🎅🏻 The Greek roots of Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas of Myra was born on March 15, 270 AD, and died on December 6, 343 AD (at age 73 years old).
Does Santa have any children? Although Santa and Mrs Claus almost never have children in any of their many depictions, there is at least one Christmas Burlesque musical from 1892 that features Kitty Claus, the daughter of Santa. Funnily enough, we find a few mentions of Kitty in our newspaper collection.
Santa Claus's dark history stems from pagan winter folklore, featuring terrifying companions like the goat-demon Krampus who punishes naughty children by whipping them or dragging them to hell, contrasting the benevolent gift-giver, and also involves tales of a French cannibal butcher, Le Père Fouettard 'Old Man Whipper', who paired with St. Nicholas to mete out harsh discipline, showing a balance of reward and brutal punishment in early winter traditions.
Old Saint Nick
The popular term for Santa prior to this period was Saint Nicholas, a name known from the religious observance of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas on Dec. 6. The Dutch name, SinterKlaas, is actually a derivative of the name Saint Nicholas.
But the one thing she has never really nailed down is having a first name. In the 1970s film, Santa Claus is Coming to town, she was called Jessica and she was a school teacher, in a 1985 movie, she was Anya, by 2011 Margaret and in 2020 she was Ruth and some people claim that she was Holly, Mary or Carol.
Father Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and typically considered to be synonymous with Santa Claus, he was originally part of a much older and unrelated English folkloric tradition.
Santa's real name is Saint Nicholas, and in many countries, he's still called that, including in Germany, where Sankt Nikolaus still visits children. The name Saint Nicholas has morphed into Santa Claus and that has become the most widespread name for Santa.
In 2025, Santa Claus is approximately 1,700 years old, based on his historical inspiration, Saint Nicholas, who was born around 280 AD in Turkey, making him an ancient, timeless figure who continues to deliver joy, though some estimates place him slightly older or younger depending on the exact birth year used.
Claus (also known as Mrs. Santa Claus or Mrs. Santa) is the legendary wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in Western Christmas tradition.
Santa and Mrs. Claus have been together for a very long time. Mrs. Claus lives with Santa and the elves at the North Pole.
Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop that was known for his kindness and for giving away gifts. He was born on March 15th, 270 A.D. and died on December 6th, 343 A.D.. After his death, Christians across Europe celebrated him on December 6th every year.
The modern red Santa Claus is closely tied to the Dutch character Sinterklaas who also wore red and white much like Saint Nicholas. During the 19th century Dutch immigrants brought the tale of Sinterklaas, a legendary gift-giver, to America where he eventually became known as Santa Claus.
Instead, Santa's birthday is on March 15 every year, according to SantaClaus.com.
While we're agnostic about whether people should include Santa in their holiday traditions — that's for each family to decide — our empirically informed view is that learning the truth about Santa Claus does not have to be a distressing experience and can even be a positive one.
Santa loves his white milk and cookies, but after stopping at every child's home, give Santa Claus some flavored milk for a tasty surprise. Or switch out the milk for some holiday eggnog!
What happens when I call triple zero (000)? The operator will ask if you want police, fire or ambulance. If you need an ambulance, you may be asked: What is the problem?
The hotline is an international voicemail line for children of all ages to leave messages for the North Pole at no charge. Callers across the globe may dial into Santa's Hotline at 1-605-313-4000. FreeConferenceCall.com also allows children to call Santa using numbers in countries outside the United States.
So please remember, if you or your child accidently calls 999 – don't hang up! Speak to the Call Handler and let them know it was just a mistake, they won't be annoyed or angry, you will be helping them by letting them know officers aren't needed. Your browser can't play this video.