I enjoy both names, though I'm more partial to the feminine Noelle than the masculine Noel if only because a lot of people pronounce Noel as one syllable: NOHL. And to me, that sounds terrible - like "grassy knoll" or Gnolls from D&D. It's NO-uhl. There's a schwa, and it's important. :-P
Noelle is very pretty to my ears, though I'd more likely use it as a middle name.
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