Christ
A surname that is usually understood as a shortened form of Christopher, though some older writers also linked it to the Christian name itself.
The #4,854 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,521 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most surname dictionaries treat Christ as a shortened form of Christopher, the Christian given name ultimately from Greek Christophoros, meaning “Christ-bearer.” Older scholars sometimes suggested a direct connection with the word Christ, but that was often rejected as an unlikely or irreverent explanation. In practice, the surname seems to have arisen as a clipped form of a Christian personal name rather than from the religious title itself.
History
Lower explicitly notes the name as a shortened form of Christopher and remarks that families with this surname were found in New York. The surname is relatively uncommon in the United States, and some bearers may have inherited it through immigrant lines in which short forms of Christian names became fixed as family names. Historical sources also show that 19th-century writers were aware of the potential ambiguity between the surname and the religious word.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An old dictionary example says there were multiple families named Christ in New York, showing the surname was already established there by the 19th century.
From the historical record
“any treasury. Richardson. CHRIST. I take this name to be a short- ened form of Christopher, rather than a profane use of the designation of our Saviour. Mi*. Bowditch informs us that " in New York theie are no less than thir- teen families of Christ, including a firm of ' Spies, Christ, and Company.' " CHRISTMASDAY…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom