CHRISTIAN
A surname of English provenance, Christian has been recorded in the British Isles since the twelfth century. It arose from the given name Christian, itself derived from the medieval Latin Christiānus, signifying a follower of Christ. The name was traditionally bestowed upon individuals who displayed profound religious devotion or were closely associated with the Christian faith.
Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, the personal name entered English usage through the influence of Breton settlers. It was introduced in its original form, Christianus, and persisted as both a male and, in some instances, a female given name – “Christiana” – noted in the Feudal Documents from the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds in 1154. The name also appears as Cristianus in the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire in 1201 and as Cristian in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1228, evidencing its continued use throughout the early twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
As a surname, Christian indicates an ancestral link to a person bearing the forename, or it may serve as a nickname describing someone who embodied Christian virtues. The first documented spelling associated with the family was that of Robert Crestien, dated 1163-1169, in the Records of the Abbey and Bishopric of Ely, Cambridge, during the reign of Henry I, who was known as «The Builder of Churches» from 1154 to 1189.
London Church registers provide further evidence of the surname’s presence in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. William Christian was christened on 14 April 1543 at Christ Church, Greyfriars, Newgate, while Abraham, son of John Christian, was baptised on 6 October 1593 at St. Helen's, Bishopsgate. The Christian family was granted a coat of arms featuring a gold field and a blue cross crosslet. The crest displays a lion guardant, seated on its hind legs, holding a cross with its dexter paw and resting its sinister on a black pyramid.
Typical given names associated with the Christian surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Gillian
- Helen
- Jane
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
- Christain
- Christ
- Christa
- Christakis
- Chirstian
- Christiana
- Christiane
- Christiani
- Christiano
- Christaki
- Christan
- Christean
- Christhain
- Christi
- Christiaan
- Christiaans
- Christiaens
- Christians
- Christiansen
- Christianson
- Christiansson
- Christie
- Christien
- Christies
- Christimas
- Christin
- Christina
- Christinas
- Christine
- Christini
- Christino
- Christion
- Christman
- Christmann
- Christmas
- Christy
- Chrystyn
- Cristan
- Cristi
- Cristia
- Cristian
- Cristiani
- Cristiano
- Cristina
- Cristman
- Kristian
- Krisztian
- Krystian
- Christen
- Christey
- Christias
- Christides
- Christinakis
- Christison
- Christner
- Christon
- Christys
- Chrystie
- Cristica
- Cristie
- Cristin
- Khristi
- Kristiansen
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Christian in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Christian are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Jaffa Cake.
There are approximately 6,166 people named Christian in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,539th most common surname in Britain. Around 95 in a million people in Britain are named Christian.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Christian
- Steve Christian - Political figure and convicted child rapist from the Pitcairn Islands
- Fletcher Christian - HMS Bounty mutineer (1764 to 1793)
- Shawn Christian - Mayor of the Pitcairn Islands and convicted sex offender
- Terry Christian - Broadcaster
- Roger Christian - Film director
- Brenda Vera Amelia Lupton-Christian - Pitcairn Island politician
- Thursday October Christian - Pitcairn Island leader (1790 to 1831)
- Thursday October Christian - Pitcairn Islands political leader (1820 to 1911)
- Tom Christian - Pitcairn Islander radio operator (1935 to 2013)
- Neil Christian - Singer (1943 to 2010)
- Mark Christian - Cyclist
- Peter Christian - Actor
- Charles Richard Parkin Christian - Pitcairn Island politician (1883 to 1971)
- Catherine Christian - Writer (1901 to 1985)
- Frederick Christian - Cricketer (1877 to 1941)
- Harry Christian - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1892 to 1974)
- Ewan Christian - Architect (1814 to 1895)
- Edward Christian - Football player (1858 to 1934)
- Hood Hanway Christian - Royal Navy admiral (1784 to 1849)
- Richard Edgar Christian - (1882 to 1940)
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.