Looking in the Santa Claus discussion forums, there are a lot of names for this childhood hero. In the Netherlands and Belgium he is called Saint Nicolas or Sinterklaas. The Dutch refer to him as de Kerstman or the Christmasman. He is called Pere Noel in French which means Father Christmas. In the United States he is referred to as Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas or Saint Nick. Papa Noel is an endearment in South Louisiana. Turkmenistan has a very interesting name for the bearded one. Ayaz baba. Father Christmas. A lot of the countries refer to him as Father Christmas, Father Frost, and even Grandfather Frost.