CHRISTENSEN
Christensen is a surname of Scandinavian origin, principally found in Denmark and Norway. It is a patronymic surname that historically indicated "son of Christen" and thereby signified a family’s association with the Christian faith.
The name Christensen is derived from the given name Christen, the Scandinavian form of Christian. The name Christian in turn comes from the Latin Christianus, meaning "follower of Christ," which itself traces back to the Greek Name Christos – a term that was used by the early Christian Church to describe those who embraced Jesus Christ as Lord. Thus the surname Christensen literally conveys "son of Christen" or "descendant of Christian."
Patronymic surnames of this type were common throughout Scandinavia, and the following variants have been recorded: Christian, Christin, and Christine in England; Crestien and Chretien in France; Kriesten, Kirstin, and Kirchstein in Germany; and the strictly Scandinavian forms Christiensen, Kristisensen and Kristiansen. In many instances, the same root has produced both masculine and feminine personal names, and consequently some families acquired the name in a metronymic rather than a patronymic manner.
The earliest surviving documentary record of a form of the name in England is that of Robert Crestien, dated to 1163 in the register of the bishopric of Ely, Cambridge. Later London church registers contain the baptisms of William Christian on 14 April 1543 at Christ Church, Greyfriars, and Abraham Christian on 6 October 1593 at St Helen's, Bishopsgate, confirming the continued prevalence of the name in the British Isles.
The diffusion of the surname beyond Scandinavia can be linked to the Norman Conquest of 1066, when Breton settlers introduced the name into England, and to the 12th‑century Crusades, which revitalised the popularity of Christian‐themed names across Europe. By the late Middle Ages the surname had taken root in several European countries, and the variety of spellings that appear in historic records reflects the linguistic diversity of the regions in which it spread.
In contemporary times, Christensen remains a common surname in Denmark and Norway, and it can also be found among families of Scandinavian descent in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. Its etymological roots, firmly attached to the Christian tradition, are still reflected in the name’s literal meaning and in the continued use of the given name Christian to this day.
Typical given names associated with the Christensen surname
Male
- Alan
- Colin
- David
- Flemming
- Jens
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Per
- Peter
- Thomas
Female
- Anne
- Charlotte
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Karen
- Lisa
- Mary
- Mette
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Trudi
Similar and related surnames
- Chrestensen
- Carstensen
- Christain
- Christansen
- Christean
- Christenson
- Christensson
- Christerson
- Christesen
- Christeson
- Christiansen
- Christianson
- Christiansson
- Christiensen
- Christienson
- Christieson
- Christinson
- Christophenson
- Kristensen
- Kristenson
- Kristensson
- Christan
- Christee
- Christen
- Christison
- Crittensen
- Kristiansen
- Kristjansen
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Christensen in...
Braille
⠉⠓⠗⠊⠎⠞⠑⠝⠎⠑⠝
Morse
-.-......-......-.-.....-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,338 people named Christensen in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,873rd most common surname in Britain. Around 21 in a million people in Britain are named Christensen.
Origin: Scandinavian
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: Norway
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Norwegian
Famous people named Christensen
- Hayden Christensen - Canadian actor
- Helena Christensen - Danish model and photographer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.