Kris Kringle is a name derived from “Christkindl” that is commonly used for Santa Claus in parts of the United States.
“Christkindl” is German for “Christ Child” and originally referred to the Christkind, a Christmas gift-bringer in German-speaking Europe. English speakers gradually reshaped the pronunciation into “Kris Kringle.” In the United States, the altered name became a popular alternative name for Santa Claus, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Kris Kringle is therefore not the name of a separate reindeer, elf, or historical bishop. The expression is related linguistically to the Christkind, but American usage often treats it as another name for Santa Claus. “Kringle” also appears in some American Christmas vocabulary because of this history.