The department-store Santa is named Kris Kringle in “Miracle on 34th Street.”
The 1947 film follows Kris Kringle after he is hired to play Santa Claus at Macy’s during the Christmas season. He insists that he is the real Santa Claus, creating a conflict that eventually reaches a New York courtroom. Edmund Gwenn played Kris Kringle and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role.
The film uses the legal dispute to explore belief, commercial Christmas culture, and the meaning of generosity. Its Macy’s setting connects the story to a real department store, while many characters and events remain fictional.
Kris Kringle is not the name of the actor or the child at the center of the story. The name itself is a recognized English-language variant of Santa Claus, influenced by “Christkindl,” a German term connected with the Christ Child.