Christopher
A surname from the given name Christopher, originally tied to the saint’s name meaning “Christ-bearer.”
The #1,214 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,622 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Christopher is a surname taken from the medieval personal name Christopher, which comes from Greek Christophoros via Latin. The name means “Christ-bearer,” from Christos “Christ” and pherein “to bear, carry.” In surname use, it usually began as a patronymic or as an identifying name for someone called Christopher, with related forms such as Christy, Christie, Christopherson, and Christopherson.
History
The name spread in England through devotion to St. Christopher, a popular medieval saint. The surname appears in a number of related spellings and derivative forms in English records, especially in northern England and Scotland. Some 19th-century writers also connected it with local surname clusters such as Christopherson, but the core explanation is simply descent from the baptismal name Christopher.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The saint behind the name was famed in medieval legend for carrying travelers across water, which helped make Christopher a widely loved baptismal name.
From the historical record
“name. CHRISTOPHER. The Christian name, whence Christolfcrs, Christopher, Christo- phersou, Christie, Christy, Christej^ and probably Chrystall. Also Kitt and Kitson. CHRISTOPHERSON. See Christopher. CHRYSTALL. Probably a corruption of Christie for Christopher. CHUMLE Y. A contraction of Cholmon- deley.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom