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It's fair to say that good old Father Christmas is a bit of an eccentric fellow. We have all of these fun Christmas traditions to celebrate his arrival, like decorating an evergreen tree and leaving out Christmas cookies and milk. He lives in the North Pole with Mrs. Claus, they have a toy factory where he works with his helpers (including his trusty Elf on the Shelf scouts who report naughty and nice behavior), and his preferred mode of transport is a sled driven by... flying reindeer? While the elves deserve their credit, Santa's reindeer do a lot of the heavy holiday lifting, too. These reliable steeds quite literally always pull through. 😂
So, how many reindeer does Santa have? It's more than just Rudolph! You're probably not alone if you can only name the most famous red-nosed friend (he does have a whole Christmas song dedicated to him, after all). And that's why we're here to appreciate the whole team of luminous jingling deer behind the most festive day of the year. While you track Santa on Christmas Eve or rewatch the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movie, see how many of the whimsical reindeer names your family can get right. Reindeer may not be in the true story of Christmas, but they're still important figures to know!
So, how many reindeer does Santa have?
Before we get into naming all of them, let's get one thing straight—Santa has a total of nine reindeer pulling his sleigh. The legendary names are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and (drum roll) Rudolph. Donner is variously spelled Dunder and Donder, and Blitzen is also spelled Blixen and Blixem.
What species are Santa's reindeer?
Santa's reindeer are of the (magical) subspecies saintnicolas magicalus, and they have the widest and roundest hooves of all deer species, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG).
While Rudolph is typically represented as a boy, one could argue that all nine would probably be female since males lose their antlers in the winter. "The diet of Santa's reindeer during the month of December consists almost entirely of carrot snacks," notes the species page on the ADFG website. "This enables them to fly long distances, during short periods of time, in unfavorable visibility conditions."
What's the history of Santa's reindeer?
The first reference to reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh was made in an 1821 illustrated children's poem, Old Santeclaus with Much Delight. There isn't much in terms of deer content, but the illustration that goes with the poem's first verse shows an unnamed solo reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh.
That all changed in 1823, when Clement C. Moore published A Visit from St. Nicholas (also named 'Twas the Night Before Christmas). This poem is responsible for much of our Christmas lore, including eight of the reindeer besides Rudolph. The poem lists out each name, and includes the early spelling of "Dunder" and "Blixem," which mean thunder and lightning in colloquial New York Dutch.
Rudolph doesn't actually appear for the first time until a full century later. The shiny "red nose" that we now know so well was invented for the 1939 story Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, written by Robert L May. His popularity would only continue to soar when the hit song of the same name came out ten years later.
The number on Santa's sleigh-pulling crew fluctuates with each new TV and movie representation, but it's these nine reindeer that are the true originals.
Are Santa's reindeer all girls?
For as long as Santa Claus and his present-laden sleigh have existed, his flying reindeer have been perceived as male (other than Vixen, who was thought to be the only female reindeer among the team). But here's a fun Christmas fact for ya: according to science, Santa's reindeer are actually girls! Yep, all of them—including Rudolph! And it all comes down to their antlers.
According to the ADFG, although both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer, male reindeer will drop their antlers at the end of fall or beginning of winter, usually in late November to mid-December. Female reindeer will also shed their antlers in the winer unless, of course, they're pregnant. Female reindeer that are pregnant will retain their antlers until after they've given birth to their calves in the spring.
So, come Christmastime when Santa is being whisked around the world by his team of reindeer (with antlers intact), we can assume that not only are the magical creatures all female, but they're probably all pregnant, too. Talk about a Christmas miracle!
Micaela Bahn is a freelance editorial assistant and recent graduate from Carleton College, where she majored in English literature. She loves running, photography, and cooking the best new recipes.
