Santa's wife, Mrs. Claus, doesn't have one official first name; different stories give her names like Jessica, Mary, Carol, Gertrude, or Leila, but many traditions just call her Mrs. Claus, treating her as a dignified figure.
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.
Claus's first name wouldn't come until more than a century after she stepped into the limelight. In the 1970 stop-motion film "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," Mrs. Claus dawns a new identity as a schoolteacher named Miss Jessica.
Mrs. Claus is the wife of Santa Claus. She is known for making cookies with the elves, caring for the reindeer, and preparing toys with her husband, Santa Claus.
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.
Here's a trivia question for the festive season: What is the first name of Santa Claus' wife? Trick question. Not only does Mrs. Claus have no definitive first name, her identity is so tied up in that of her husband that she is best known for elf-wrangling, cookie baking, and assisting with toy assembly.
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.
Mrs. Claus, or Miri, is originally from modern-day Scandanavian countries, and operates as the heart of the North Pole. She ensures everything runs smoothly with her expert organization, eye for design and her culinary creativity.
🎅🏻 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).
The dark history of Santa Claus stems from older European folklore featuring terrifying figures like Krampus and Père Fouettard, who punished naughty children with switches, chains, or even abduction, acting as the "bad cop" to Saint Nicholas's "good cop," punishing the wicked while Saint Nick rewarded the good, a tradition rooted in pagan winter rites and medieval tales of cannibalism and violence.
With the help of the reindeer, Kris and his companions escape. Soon after, Kris, now sporting a beard as a disguise, returns to his "Claus" name and marries Jessica. They travel to the North Pole to establish a toy workshop.
Sinéad is the Irish for Jana, Jane, Janet, Jean, Jess, Jessica, Jessie, Sheena, and Sine, and is pronounced "shin-aid". The inside greeting wishes the recipient "Happy Birthday" in the Irish language. This 4″ × 6″ card could also be framed, and used as wall-art to decorate a bedroom wall or door!
Bernard appears before Scott and tells him he needs to return to his role as Santa. To convince him, Bernard takes him to visit Scott's predecessor, Santa XVII, who reveals that all previous Santas were ethereal and Scott was chosen to become Santa because of his giving spirit as a child.
Did you know Santa has an evil twin? Meet Krampus – the ancient Christmas demon with a hidden holiday message.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nicolas, the original Santa Clause, does not roam the night alone. He has his partner Krampus giving out punishment to those who have behaved badly during the year. Krampus most likely originated from Austria derived from pagan beliefs. He was later adapted to Christian beliefs symbolizing the devil himself.
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.
Mrs. Claus has beautiful white hair.
Prior to Nast's work, Santa's outfit was tan in color, and it was he that changed it to red, although he also drew Santa in a green suit. This change is often attributed to the work of Haddon Sundblom, who drew images of Santa in advertising for the Coca-Cola Company since 1931.
The dark history of Santa Claus stems from older European folklore featuring terrifying figures like Krampus and Père Fouettard, who punished naughty children with switches, chains, or even abduction, acting as the "bad cop" to Saint Nicholas's "good cop," punishing the wicked while Saint Nick rewarded the good, a tradition rooted in pagan winter rites and medieval tales of cannibalism and violence.
Saint Nicholas, who is known worldwide as Santa Claus, was born in the ancient Lycian city of Patara, an important city on the Mediterranean coast of Türkiye. Around 300 AD, during a prosperous era for Patara, a rich wheat merchant had a son and named him Nicholas.