Forget the jolly man in red. A remarkable discovery from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) has revealed that Scotland's very own Santa was, in fact, a girl born in Glasgow at the dawn of the 20th century.
Unwrapping Centuries of Festive Names
Researchers delving into half a millennium of Scottish birth, marriage, and census records have uncovered a treasure trove of individuals with wonderfully seasonal names. The most surprising find is Santa Bianchi, born in Glasgow in 1901 to ice cream dealer Pasquale Bianchi and his wife Lucia. This historical Santa was more likely to have carried an ice cream cone than a sack of presents.
The archives are brimming with other merry monikers connected to the festive period. Advent Allan was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow, on December 7, 1871. Just five years later, Henry Christmas Clarke made his entrance on Christmas Day in Inverness and later became a priest.
Accidental Christmas Connections and Cinematic Namesakes
While some names were deliberate nods to the season, others have more serendipitous yuletide links. Angel Maria Lopez was named after his father following his April 1873 birth in Glasgow. In 1882, parents in Logie, Perthshire, chose the name Julia Tinsel for their daughter. Meanwhile, Agnes Elf O’Brien arrived in Peterhead in 1899.
The records also list practical names with a festive twist, including George Turkey in Edinburgh (1841), Frederick Trimming who married in the capital in 1868, and shoemaker Robert Sleigh a decade later.
In a charming coincidence, the NRS found a Scottish namesake for a beloved Christmas film character. While James Stewart played the iconic George Bailey in the 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life, Scotland's own George Bailey was a stage carpenter living with his wife and two daughters in Aberdeen's Ferryhill area in 1901.
A Glimpse into Scotland's Archival Treasures
Alison Byrne, chief executive of National Records of Scotland, commented on the findings. "This list of Christmas names gives a glimpse into the treasures which lie in our archives," she said. "We can’t promise everyone has an ancestor called Santa or Elf but if your relatives owned or rented property or were born, married or died in Scotland it’s likely that they’re in our records."
This research highlights the rich, often whimsical, personal history contained within the nation's official documents, offering a unique perspective on how the festive spirit has been woven into Scottish society over 500 years.
