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Looking for names for an elf on the shelf? Don’t miss these clever elf on the shelf name ideas, perfect for your new Christmas elf.
Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition where an elf watches kids during Christmas season and each night goes to report back to Santa. Each morning, kids have to find the elf in its new hiding place
Elf on the Shelf has become so ubiquitous that it’s hard to believe that they only debuted in 2005 (source).
Part of the Elf on the Shelf experience is that each family names their elf when they “adopt” him. This list is here to help you find lots of name ideas for your new Elf on the Shelf.
Below you’ll find elf-themed names, like elves in pop culture and names with elf meanings. Plus, there are some funny elf names in there too.
Let’s find your elf’s new name!
Boy Elf on the Shelf Names
First up, let’s check out some boy name ideas for an elf on the shelf.
Boy names that mean elf
To kick off the list, here are names with elf-themed meanings. Of the names below, I really like Oli and Alfredo, which would make a funny and also apropos name for an elf.
Alfie (meaning: counsel, elf; origin: English)
Alfred (meaning: wise counsel, elvin; origin: English)
Alfredo (meaning: wise counsel, elvin; origin: Spanish; Italian; Portuguese)
Alvin (meaning: elf friend; origin: English)
Aubrey (meaning: elf ruler; origin: German)
Avery (meaning: ruler of elves; origin: English)
Elby (meaning:battle elf; origin: English)
Oli (meaning: elf warrior, olive tree; origin: German; Latin)
Olvin (meaning:elf warrior; origin: German)
Funny boy elf names
Next, check out these funny and punny names for an elf.
Elf-is Presley
Melfunction: a play on the word malfunction
Elfabet: a play on alphabet
Elful: a play on ‘awful’ since an Elf on the Shelf is a troublemaker.
Elfant: a play on elephant
Famous elves
The next section highlights famous elves in pop culture that you can steal for your elf. The Santa Claus movie really nailed it because Bernard is a great elf name.
Buddy: is there a more perfect elf than Will Ferrell’s Buddy?
Bernard: the lead elf in the Santa Claus movie
Legolas: elf in Lord of the Rings
Dobby: the house elf in Harry Potter
Hermey: elf in the 1964 Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer show
Girl Elf on the Shelf Names
Now let’s turn to girl elves. Here are some cute and clever names for a girl elf on the shelf.
Girl names that mean elf
Here are girl names with elf meanings. My favorite in this section is Aubrey (which actually can be a gender neutral name and I love it for both genders).
Aubrey (meaning: elf ruler; origin: German)
Aubriella (meaning: feminine elf ruler; origin: Constructed Name)
Aubrielle (meaning: feminine elf ruler; origin: Constructed Name)
Avery (meaning: ruler of elves; origin: English)
Luella (meaning: famous elf; origin: English)
Luelle (meaning: beautiful elf; origin: English)
Oli (meaning: elf warrior, olive tree; origin: German; Latin)
Funny girl elf names
Next, here here are funny girl elf on the shelf names.
Elf-aba: a play off the main character in Wicked
Elfa Fitzgerald: a play on Ella Fitzgerald
Elfabet: a play on alphabet
Elfant: a play on elephant
V-elf-et: a pun on velvet
Famous elves
To wrap up the girl names, here are famous girl elves in pop culture. Did you know that the baby at the end of the movie Elf is named Susie? You can spot it on her elf hat.
Jovie: the female lead in the movie Elf
Susie: the baby of Buddy and Jovie at the end of Elf
Quenya: an elf language in Lord of the Rings
Azshara: queen elf in World of Warcraft
Winky: the house elf at Hogwarts in Harry Potter
Christmas-themed names
If you want to stick with a Christmas-theme for your elf, here are some names that have Christmas meanings or are associated with Christmas time.
Clara: for the Nutcracker (meaning: bright; origin: Latin)
Eve: for Christmas Eve (meaning:life; origin: Latin; Hebrew)
Holly: for Christmas holly (meaning: red berry plant; origin: English)
Ivy (meaning: evergreen vine; origin: English; Latin)
Joy (meaning: happy; origin: Latin; French; English)
Mary (meaning: bitter; beloved; origin: Aramaic; Greek; Latin; Hebrew)
Natalia (meaning: Christmas Day; origin: Latin)
Natalie (meaning: Christmas Day; origin: French)
Natasha (meaning: born on Christmas; origin: Russian)
Neve (meaning: snow; origin: Latin; Irish)
Noel (meaning: Christmas; origin: French)
Noelle (meaning: Christmas; origin: Latin)
Ollis (meaning: holly tree; origin: English)
Elf sounding names
Finally, let’s close the list with some names that just sound like “elf.” These are pretty on the nose and include some cute ideas like Elfinette.
Elfa
Elvira
Delfina
Elva
Elfinette
Elfred
Elvin
Read more:
Need more Christmas ideas? Check out these cute Christmas breakfast ideas for kids.
