Noelm.Old Frenchno(u)el from Latin natalis 'of or pertaining to birth'.
The phrase dies natalis refers to Christmas, the day of Jesus's birth; Noel was hence given to children who were born on Christmas day. See also Natale.
Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Noel". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2016, no. 3. http://dmnes.org/2016/3/name/Noel.