An artistic perennial favourite for centuries, now at a nadir.
If you are looking for a historic, friendly traditional name that's underused,
Christopher is worth a second glance.
Origin: |
Christopher is an Anglicised form of the Greek name Christophoros, composed of the the elements Χριστος (Christos) and φερω (phero) "to carry, to bear," meaning "bearing Christ." Evidence suggests that early Christians adopted the term to refer to themselves, and as a symbolic name for converted Christians, meaning that they carried Christ with them in their lives and hearts. By the 7th century the name, however, was applied to an early Christian martyr whom legend describes as a giant man who carried the Christ-child across a dangerous river — thus "Christ-bearing." Though historical evidence for St Christopher is shaky (his rank was lowered in the liturgical calendar in 1969) he has long been a widely popular saint and venerated as the patron of travellers. Traditionally, the sight of his image was thought to bring protection and, still today, St Christopher medallions are commonly carried by Christians as talismans. Some historians, such as Dr David Woods, argue that St Christopher was in fact St Menas, an Egyptian martyr who is regarded in Coptic tradition as the patron of travellers. After Menas, a soldier, was martyred in far away Antioch his body was returned to Egypt. The theory proposes that when the church in Antioch collected what they knew about the martyred foreign solider, they were unable to gather his real name, therefore giving him the honorific title 'Christophoros' to show that he was a Christian convert.* |
Usage: |
As a given name proper, Christopher can be found in use from the early 13th century in Britain. Both the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201 and 1220 list a Christopherus, though examples were rare. The short form Kit (Kytt/e) also appears in use from 13th century, engendering the surnames Kitt, Kitts and Kitson. By the 14th century, St Christopher's cult was at a height, and the saint was a popular depiction in church wall paintings. This seems to have had a profound impact on the usage of Christopher as a given name. Redmonds notes that the name was among the top dozen names of Yorkshire and Lancashire by the 1430s. The name continued to flourish as a top 20 name for almost another three centuries, as we can see from Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1670 in England: This was an age of notable namesakes such as Christopher of Bavaria (1416-1448), King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway; Christopher Columbus (1451-1506); Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564-1593), playwright; Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), architect; Christopher "Kit" Smart (1722-1771), poet. As we can see, Kit was the go-to diminutive at the time, and there is evidence to suggest that Kester was used as the vernacular form. While Christopher fell out of the top 20 from the 18th century, it still maintained good use. Dunkling ranks Christopher at #21 in England and Wales both 1700 and 1800 and fell to a steady rank between #40 and #60 throughout the 19th century: #44 in 1860, #43 in 1870, #47 in 1880, #60 in 1890 and #60 in 1900. Data from the 1881 census (see right) indicates that Christopher was most popular in the North of England and, when we factor in population differences, the Scottish Highlands. At the beginning of the 20th century, Christopher maintained a fairly consistent rank in the bottom half of the top 100, by which time, Kit had been superseded by Chris. Its fortunes took an upturn in the 1940s, when Christopher went from #57 in 1934 (E&W) to #16 in 1944. From there it rose to the top 10 in the 1950s, ranking #9 in 1954, #6 in 1974 and peaking at #1 in 1984. Of course, reaching the top spot, the only way left to go was down, and Christopher has been declining gradually ever since, dropping out of the top 50 in 2002 and the top 100 in 2010. Currently, Christopher is at its lowest historical point in England and Wales at #132. In Scotland, Christopher's fortunes have followed a similar curve. It reached a peak of #2 from 1982 to 1991, after which it gradually declined reaching #30 in 2000, #45 in 2005, #69 in 2010 and #80 in 2014. Similarly, Christopher has fallen gradually in Northern from #13 in 1997 to #86 in 2014. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Christopher Lekapenos (d. 931), Byzantine co-emperor. Contemporary: * Christopher Fry (1907–2005), British dramatist. Literature and Other Media: * Col. Christopher Brandon, a character in Emma Thompson's adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1995). |
Variants: |
Criostal, Chrystal (Scots Gaelic), Críostóir (Irish Gaelic), Christophe (French), Christoph (German), Cristóbal (Spanish), Kristoffer, Christoffer (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian), Cristoforo (Italian), Cristóvão (Portuguese), Christoffel (Dutch), Krzysztof, Krzysiek (Polish), Krištof (Slavic) |
Pronunciation: |
KRIS-tə-fər [key] |
Possible diminutives: |
Chris, Kit, Kitts, Kitto, Kester, Topher, Ric, Frisco, Keir, Risto |
Sibling Names: |
Hannah Melissa Laura Abigail Rebecca Georgina |
Name Lists: |
Popular Biblical Names Terrifically Tudor Gorgeously Georgian European Royalty Shakespearean Names Dickensian Names Bronte Names |
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Thanks to Dawn for requesting this post.