 Saint Christopher | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkrɪstəfər/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Greek |
| Meaning | Christ-bearer |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Chris, Kit, Topher |
| Related names |
|
Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (Christophoros or Christoforos). The constituent parts are Χριστός (Christós), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρειν (phérein), "to bear"; hence the "Christ-bearer".
As a given name, 'Christopher' has been in use since the 10th century. In English, Christopher may be abbreviated as "Chris", "Topher", and sometimes "Kit". It was frequently the most popular male first name in the United Kingdom, having been in the top twenty in England and Wales from the 1940s until 1995, although it has since dropped out of the top 100. Within the United Kingdom, the name is most common in England and not so common in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
People with the given name
Antiquity and Middle Ages
- Saint Christopher (died 251), saint venerated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians
- Christopher (Domestic of the Schools) (fl. 870s), Byzantine general
- Christopher Lekapenos (died 931), Byzantine co-emperor
- Christopher of Antioch (died 967), Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
- Christopher I of Denmark (1219–1259), King of Denmark (1252–1259)
- Christopher II of Denmark (1276–1332), King of Denmark (1320–1326, 1329–1332)
- Christopher of Bavaria (1416–1448), union king of Denmark (1440–1448) as Christopher III, Sweden (1441–1448), and Norway (1442–1448)
- Christopher of Werle (died 1425), Prince of the Wends
- Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), Italian navigator, explorer, and colonizer who captained the first European ship to reach the Americas
Modern
- Christopher (singer) (born 1992), Danish singer
- Christopher, Count of Oldenburg (c. 1504 – 1566)
- Christopher, Duke of Brunswick-Harburg (1570–1606)
- Christopher, Duke of Mecklenburg (1537–1592)
- Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1888–1940), prince, son of George I, King of Greece
- Christopher Ross (1931-2023), American sculptor, designer and collector
- Christopher of Prague (born 1953), primate-elect of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia
- Christopher Abbott (born 1986), American actor
- Christopher J. Alexis Jr. (born 1996), Grenadian road cyclist
- Christopher Auth
- Christopher Awdry (born 1940), English author is best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine
- Christopher Bartley (born 1963), American psychologist
- Christopher Bengtsson (born 1993), Swedish professional ice hockey player
- Christopher Briney (born 1998), American actor
- Chris Broach (born 1976), American musician, songwriter, and recording artist
- Christopher Brooks (disambiguation), multiple people
- Chris Brown (born 1989), American singer and songwriter
- Chris Bandak (born 1979), Palestinian militant and member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
- Chris Caisey (born 1985), Bermudian footballer
- Christopher Cerf (born 1941), American author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer
- Kris Clyburn (born 1996), American basketball player for Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Chris Cornell (1964–2017) American musician, songwriter, singer, rhythm guitarist and recording artist
- Christopher Cradock (1862–1914), English Royal Navy officer
- Christopher Cross (born 1951), American musician
- Christopher De Leon (born 1956), Filipino actor and politician
- Christopher Dorner (1973–2013), American former LA police officer and spree killer
- Christopher Dorst (born 1956), American water polo player
- Christopher Doyle (born 1952), Australian-Hong Kong cinematographer
- Christopher Eccleston (born 1964), English actor
- Chris Evans (born 1981), American actor
- Christopher R. Fee, American medievalist
- Christopher Ford, American screenwriter
- Christopher E. Gerty (born 1975), American aerospace engineer and aquanaut
- Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go (born 1974), Filipino politician
- Christopher Guarin, Filipino journalist who was murdered
- Christopher Hammersley (1903–1994), British fencer
- Sir Christopher Hatton (1540–1591), English politician and 'favourite' of Queen Elizabeth
- Christopher Hinton (disambiguation), multiple people
- Chris Daugherty (born 1970), American construction worker and reality TV personality
- Christopher Haase (born 1987), German professional racing driver
- Christopher Harborne (born 1962), British businessman and technology investor based in Thailand
- Chris Hemsworth (born 1983), Australian actor
- Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011), English American author and journalist
- Christopher House (born 1955), Canadian choreographer, performer and educator
- Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986), English American novelist
- Christopher Allan Hector Perera Jayawardena, Sri Lankan Sinhala army officer
- Christopher Katongo (born 1982), Zambian international footballer
- Christopher Lee (disambiguation)
- Kristoffer Lindberg (born 1992), Swedish politician
- Christopher Lloyd (born 1938), American actor
- Christopher Lloyd (screenwriter) (born 1960), American screenwriter
- Christopher Maloney (English singer) (born 1977), British singer-songwriter
- Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), English dramatist
- Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (born 1977), English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist
- Christopher McKeown, British Paralympic athlete
- Christopher Meloni (born 1961), American actor
- Christopher Messina (born 1981), American inventor of the hashtag
- Christopher Robin Milne (1920–1996), English son of author A. A. Milne
- Christopher G. Moore (born 1952), Canadian writer
- Christopher Morley (1890–1957), American journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet
- Christopher Newsom (1983–2007), American murder victim
- Christopher Neyor, Liberian energy analyst
- Christopher Nolan (born 1970), British-American film director and producer
- Christopher Norris (actress), American actress
- Christopher Nowinski (born 1978), American professional wrestler
- Christopher Ober (born 1954), Canadian-American material scientist
- Christopher Ondaatje (born 1933), Sri Lankan Briton businessman and adventurer
- Christopher O'Neill (born 1974), husband of Princess Madeleine of Sweden
- Christopher Paolini (born 1983), American author
- Christopher Stuart Patterson (1842–1924), American Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Christopher Pike (author) (born 1954), American author
- Chris Pine (born 1980), American actor
- Christopher Pratt (1935–2022), Canadian painter and printmaker
- Chris Pratt (born 1979), American actor
- Christopher Plummer (1929–2021), Canadian actor
- Christopher Reeve (1952–2004), American actor
- Christopher Ruocchio, American author and editor
- Christopher Sacchin (born 1983), Italian diver
- Christopher Samba (born 1984), former Blackburn Rovers Captain
- Christopher Scanlon (born 1981), American politician
- Christopher Scarver (born 1969), American robber and serial killer; best known for killing Jeffrey Dahmer
- Chris Skelley (born 1993), British Paralympic judoka
- Christopher Smart (1722–1771), English poet
- Christopher Smith (disambiguation), multiple people
- Chris Squire (1948–2015), English bassist (Yes)
- Christopher Tingley (born c. 1950), Arabic translator
- Christopher Tolkien (1924–2020), third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien
- Christopher Tsui, Hong Kong–based businessman and a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse owner
- Christopher Walken (born 1943), American actor
- Christopher Wallace (1972–1997), American rapper
- Chris Whelpdale (born 1987), English professional footballer
- Christopher Wilder (1945–1984), American serial killer and rapist
- Christopher Woodrow (born 1977), American movie producer
- Christopher Wren (1632–1723), English architect
People with the surname
- Alvin Christopher, British Virgin Islander politician
- Ann Christopher (born 1947), British sculptor
- Anthony (Tony) Christopher (born 1952), CEO and president of Landmark Entertainment Group
- Bostin Christopher, American actor
- Byron Christopher (born 1949), Canadian news reporter
- Chigozie Christopher (born 1992), Nigerian footballer
- Dennis Christopher (born Dennis Carrelli, 1955), American actor
- Joe Christopher (1935–2023), American baseball player
- Joseph Christopher (1955–1993), American serial killer
- Josh Christopher (born 2001), American basketball player
- Ted Christopher (1958–2017), American racing driver
- Thom Christopher (1940–2024), American actor
- Tony Christopher, Baron Christopher (born 1925), British businessman, trade unionist, and tax official
- Warren Christopher (1925–2011), 63rd United States Secretary of State
- William Christopher (1932–2016), American actor
Fictional characters
- Christopher Da Silva, a character from the Silent Hill film franchise
- Christopher Ewing, a character from the American revival series Dallas
- Christopher Gardner, the main character from the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness
- Christopher “Chris” Halliwell, son of main character Piper Halliwell of Charmed
- Christopher "Chris" Myers, character from The Promise (2016)
- Christopher "Chris" Kirkman, a character in Bravest Warriors
- Christopher Moltisanti, a character from the American TV series The Sopranos
- Christopher Pike, a character in the Star Trek franchise
- Christopher Robin, a character from the 1926 novel Winnie the Pooh and its franchise
- Christopher "Chris" Traeger, a character from the American TV series Parks and Recreation
- Christopher Turk, a character from the American television series Scrubs
- Peter Christopher, lead character in the 1960s TV sitcom Occasional Wife
- Christopher "Kit" Walker, the real name of the comic character The Phantom
- Christopher Wilde, a character from the 2010 film Starstruck
- Joshua Christopher from the manga series Chrono Crusade
Cognates in other languages
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- Afrikaans: Christoffel, Christoforus
- Albanian: Kristofer, Kristofor, Kristoforid, Kristo
- Arabic: كريستوفر (Krīstafor, Kristūfar, Krístufer), اصطفر (ʔiṣṭufur, ʔiṣṭafur), عبد المسيح (ʕabdu l-masīḥ), خريستو (Ḵrīstū, Ḵrīstaw, Ḵrīstau)
- Aragonese: Cristofo
- Azerbaijani: Kristofer
- Armenian: Քրիստափոր (Christapor, Krisdapor)
- Basque: Kristobal
- Belarusian: Крыстафер (Krystafier)
- Bengali: ক্রিস্টোফার (Krisţophar)
- Breton: Kristof, Kristol
- Bulgarian: Кристофър (Christofr), Христофор ("Khristofór")
- Catalan: Cristòfor
- Chinese: 克里斯托弗 (Kèlǐsītuōfú), 克里斯多夫(Kèlǐsīduōfū), 克里斯多福 ("Kèlǐsīduōfú)
- Cornish: Kitto
- Corsican: Cristofanu
- Croatian: Kristofor
- Czech: Kryštof
- Danish: Christoffel, Christoffell, Christoffer, Christofher, Christoph, Christopher, Chriztoffer, Kristofer, Kristofers, Kristoffer, Kristoofer, Kristopher
- Dutch: Christoffel, Christoforus, Christophe, Kristof
- Esperanto: Kristoforo
- Estonian: Christoph, Kristof, Kristofer, Kristoffer, Risto
- Faroese: Kristoffur
- Finnish: Kristoffer, Risto
- Flemish: Christoffel, Kristof
- French: Christophe
- Galician: Cristovo
- Genoese: Christoffa
- German: Christoph, Christopher, Christof, Christoffer, Kristof
- Georgian: ქრისტეფორე (K'ristep'ore)
- Greek: Χριστόφορος (Christophoros)
- Gujarati: ક્રિસ્ટોફર (Krisṭōphara)
- Haitian Creole: Kristòf
- Hawaiian: Kilikopela, 'Imiloa (direct translation)
- Hebrew: כריסטופר (Kristofer)
- Hindi: क्रिस्टोफर (Krisṭōphar)
- Hungarian: Kristóf, Krisztofer
- Icelandic: Kristófer
- Indonesian: Christopher, Christoforus
- Irish: Críostóir
- Italian: Cristoforo
- Japanese: クリストファー (Kurisutofā)
- Kannada: ಕ್ರಿಸ್ಟೋಫರ್ (Krisṭōphar)
- Korean: 크리스토퍼 (Keuriseutopeo)
- Latin: Christopherus, Christophorus
- Latvian: Kristaps, Kristofers
- Lithuanian: Kristoforas, Kristupas
- Macedonian: Кристофер (Kristofer)
- Malayalam: ക്രിസ്റ്റഫർ (Kristaphar)
- Maltese: Kristofru,
- Marathi: ख्रिस्तोफर (Khristōphar)
- Middle English: Cristofre
- Mongolian: Кристофер (Kristofyer)
- Montenegrin: Ристо (Risto), Крсто (Krsto)
- Nepali: क्रिस्टोफर (Krisṭōphar)
- Norwegian: Kristoffer
- Occitan: Cristòl
- Persian: کریستوفر
- Polish: Krzysztof
- Portuguese: Cristóvão
- Romanian: Hristofor
- Russian: Христофо́р (Khristofór)
- Sami: Doffá
- Sardinian: Cristolu
- Scottish Gaelic: Crìsdean
- Serbian: Христофор (Hristofor)
- Sicilian: Cristòfuru
- Slovak: Krištof
- Slovenian: Krištof
- Sorbian: Kito
- Spanish: Cristóbal, Cristo, Tobolito, Cristóforo
- Swahili: Gitte
- Swedish: Christoffer, Kristoffer
- Tamil: கிறிஸ்டோபர் (Kiṟisṭōpar)
- Telugu: క్రిస్టోఫర్ (Krisṭōphar)
- Thai: คริสโตเฟอร์ (Kristofeʼr)
- Turkish: Kristof
- Ukrainian: Христофор (Khrystofor), Криштоф (Kryshtof)
- Urdu: کرسٹوفر
- Venetian: Cristoforo
- Vietnamese: Kristoffer, Christopher
- Welsh: Cristoffis
- Yiddish: טשריסטאָפער (Tshristofer)
See also
- Christoph, a given name and surname
- Christophers, a surname
- Kester (name), a given name and surname
References
- χριστός, φέρειν. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
- "Christopher - Meaning And Origin Of The Name Christopher". Baby Names UK.
- "Approved Firstnames (Boys) starting with C - Ankestyrelsen". ast.dk. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- "Approved Firstnames (Boys) starting with K - Ankestyrelsen". ast.dk. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
| Given names and surnames associated with Christopher | ||
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| Male given name | ||
| Female given name | ||
| Diminutive | ||
| Surname | ||
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