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 adding the "le" to the ending of the name, (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. People Noël (singer), American disco singer Noel Agazarian (1916–1941), British pilot Noel Barrionuevo (b. 1984), Argentine female professional field hockey player and Olympian Noel Bauldeweyn (c. 1480–1513), Franco-Flemish composer Noel Blanc (b. 1938), American voice actor, son of Mel Blanc Noel Cabangon (b. 1963), Filipino singer Noel Chavasse (1884–1917), British medical officer and decorated hero Noel Clarke (b. 1975), English actor and writer Noël Coward (1899–1973), British actor, playwright, and popular music composer Noel Devine (b. 1988), American football player Noel Dyson (1916–1995), British actress Noel Edmonds (b. 1948), British television presenter and DJ Noel Emmanuel (b. 1960), 6th Bishop of Trincomalee Noel Fielding (b. 1973), British comedian and television actor Noel Fisher (b. 1984), Canadian actor Noel Francis (c. 1906–1959), American Actress Noel Gallagher (b. 1967), English musician Noel V. Ginnity (fl. 1957-2020's), Irish comedian Noël Godin (b. 1945), Belgian writer Noel Harrison (1934–2013), British actor and singer Noel Hood (1909–1979), British actress Noel Jenke (1946–2020), American football player Noel King (b. 1956), Republic of Ireland