Santa Claus wouldn’t be able to travel the world bringing joy and toys to kids if it weren’t for Mrs. Claus, his loyal elves and especially his trusty reindeer! If you’re wondering how many reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh and the names of Santa’s reindeer, we have the answers for you! Learn all about the cute reindeer who speed Santa across the sky every Christmas Eve.
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How Many Reindeer Pull Santa’s Sleigh?
It takes quite a few reindeer to pull a sleigh holding a large, rotund man and presents for almost an entire planet’s worth of children. In Clement C. Moore’s 1823 poem A Visit From St. Nicholas (best known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas), eight reindeer are mentioned. In 1939, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was introduced, making him Santa’s ninth reindeer.
However, in 1902, L. Frank Baum’s The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus boasts 10 reindeer. Other reindeer have been introduced in popular culture over time, but generally, no more than 10 reindeer at a time have been used to pull Santa’s sleigh around the sky on Christmas Eve.
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Photo by Vladimir Melnikov from Getty Images/Canva
What Are the Names of Santa’s Reindeer?
Santa’s reindeer are named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph. In L. Frank Baum’s The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, however, the reindeer are named Flossie, Glossie, Racer, Pacer, Fearless, Peerless, Ready, Steady, Feckless and Speckless.
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How Do I Track Santa?
There are two ways to track Santa on Christmas Eve: on the official NORAD Santa Tracker—which starts tracking on Dec. 1—and Google Santa Tracker. Google’s Santa Tracker site has fun games you can play now, and then you can track good ole Saint Nick on Christmas Eve.
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Do Any of Santa’s Reindeer Have Songs About Them Besides ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?’
Rudolph boasts “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Run Rudolph Run,” but other reindeer have songs, too! Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has a song called “Donner and Blitzen”:
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Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance teamed up with The Regrettes‘ Lydia Night for an ode to Dasher:
What Do the Names of Santa’s Reindeer Mean?
Many of Santa’s reindeer names give a clue to their personalities: Dasher is likely quick, while Dancer and Prancer are quite graceful in their movements. Vixen and Cupid are likely very friendly and charming! Donner and Blitzen’s names actually come from the Dutch words “Dunder and Blixem,” which mean, respectively, “thunder” and “lightning.” As such, Donner and Blitzen are interpreted to be strong and speedy.
As for Rudolph? He got his name from creator Robert L. May in the story written for Montgomery Ward department stores. In the classic Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated film, Rudolph got his name from his parents, Donner and Mrs. Donner.
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