Norwich has been named the third most festive town or city in the UK, according to research carried out by Royal Mail.

The company's address management unit analysed over 31 million addresses to evaluate the impact that the festive season has had on the naming of the nation's streets and houses.

It found that the fine city boasts 459 festive street and house names, putting it in third place behind York, which has 480, and London, which has 675.

Festive addresses in Norwich include Angel Road, Carol Close and King Street, which is also the UK's most popular festive street name, with 1,617 recorded across the country.

Norwich Evening News: King Street is one of the UK's most popular festive names with 1,617 registered across the country - including in NorwichKing Street is one of the UK's most popular festive names with 1,617 registered across the country - including in Norwich (Image: Archant)

Royal Mail's research revealed that over 50,000 addresses across the UK bear a Christmas-linked moniker, including seven per cent - around 23,000 - of the nation's named homes.

Among the most popular names for individual properties are "Ivy Cottage," "Holly Cottage" and "Holly House". In fact, there are 7,600 addresses in the country linked to the name 'Holly', as well as almost 3,000 named "Ivy Cottage" and over 250 properties called "Christmas Cottage."

Steve Rooney, head of Royal Mail's address management unit, said: "Street, house and building names chiefly reflect our nation's heritage and primary interests. The enduring spirit of Christmas clearly extends well past December 25 in the UK, as so many festive terms are resonant in the names of our streets and houses."

Here is Royal Mail's full list of festive towns and cities across the UK.

1. London (675)

2. York (480)

3. Norwich (459)

4. Bristol (341)

5. Manchester (304)

6. Maidstone (211)

7. Guildford (200)

8. Doncaster (198)

9. Birmingham (186)

10. Leeds (181)

11. Ipswich (168)

12. Bury St Edmunds (157)

13. Nottingham (144)

14. Lincoln (141)

15. Banbury (132)

16. Leicester (128)

17. Bridgend (126)

= Sheffield (126)

19. Gloucester (107)

20. Exeter (102)