Christner
A German surname built from “Christ,” most likely meaning “Christian” or “belonging to Christ.”
The #9,455 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,726 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Christner is a German surname formed from Christ, from Greek Christos, “anointed one,” the source of the word “Christ.” In surname use, it likely began as a short form or variant of a devotional name meaning “Christian” or “one associated with Christ.” The ending -ner is a common German surname suffix, often used in regional or descriptive family names.
History
The name is most at home in German-speaking areas and was carried to North America by German-speaking immigrants and their descendants. In the United States it is less common than many other German surnames, but it appears steadily in communities with German heritage. Spelling and pronunciation have generally been stable in English, though local variants may occur.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it contains Christ-, the name is easy to confuse with a title or religious label, but in surname form it functions simply as a family name.