Origin and popularity of the name CHRISTOPHER

Origin

Christopher : English German West Indian (mainly Trinidad and Tobago Antigua and Barbuda and British Virgin Islands) and African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania): from the English and German personal name Christopher from Greek Christophoros ‘Christ-bearing’ (see Christ 1). This was borne by a rather obscure 3rd-century Christian martyr. His name was relatively common among early Christians who desired to bear Jesus Christ metaphorically with them in their daily lives. Subsequently the name was explained by a folk etymology according to which the saint carried the infant Christ across a ford and so became the patron saint of travelers. Despite the widespread veneration and depiction of this saint this was not a very common personal name in medieval England and may in some instances have a habitational origin for someone living for example in Saint Christopher parish (Saint Christopher le Stocks London). In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed the German variant Christoffer and cognates from other languages e.g. Hungarian Kristóf and Czech Slovak Slovenian and Croatian Krištof (see Kristof). The usual German form of the name is Christoph.

Christison : Scottish (Angus): either a shortened form of Christinson or Christianson (see Christian) or ‘son of Christie’ a pet form of Christin Christian or Christopher.

Monserrate : 2: Portuguese: habitational name from any of various places in Portugal named Monserrate.1: Catalan: Castilianized form of Montserrat from the name of a monastery located on the mountain of Montserrat in Barcelona famous for a venerated statue of the Madonna and Child or from a short form of the Marian name Mare de Déu de Montserrat ‘Mother of God of Montserrat’. Mare de Déu de Montserrat known in English as Virgin of Montserrat is patron saint of Catalonia. Christopher Columbus christened the Caribbean Island of Montserrat with reference to this name of the Virgin.

Rolleston : 1: in the Midlands from Rolleston (Leics Notts Staffs) and perhaps Rowston (Lincs); in ER Yorks from Rolston (or Rowlston) in Mappleton (ER Yorks); and in SW England from Rollestone in Upton Pyne or Rolstone Barton in Morchard Bishop (both in Devon) or Rollestone (Wilts) and perhaps Rowlestone (Herefs) or Rolstone in Banwell (Somerset). The place-names have various etymological origins though most are named with the Middle English personal name Rolf or the Old Scandinavian personal name Hrólfr + Middle English toun ‘town settlement’ Old English tūn ‘farmstead estate’. It is possible that some of the following bearers belong with (2) particularly the Yorks examples. 2: variant of Rollinson reduced to Rolleson and altered by the addition of an intrusive -t- as though it were a locative name in -ston. Compare Thomas Rolleson' 1377 in Poll Tax (Kingston upon Hull ER Yorks) and Christopher Rollston 1723 Henry Rowlstone 1763 in IGI (Kingston upon Hull ER Yorks).

Sandison : Scottish (Shetland): from the personal name Sandie Sandy (pet forms of Alexander) + -son. Hereditary surnames as opposed to patronymics did not become established in Shetland until the 18th century. Thus one family of Shetland Sandisons is descended from Alexander Harrison born c. 1700 at Delting and another from Christopher Alexanderson born 1681 at Northmarine himself presumably the son of an Alexander. Compare Sanderson.

Tommis : variant of Thomas. Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames notes the change in Bradford (WR Yorks) from Christopher Thomas (1539) to Samuel Thomisse (1635).

Whitcutt : from Middle English whit ‘white’ + cote ‘cottage cottages’.from or confused with the now extinct Whichcote from Wichcot a deserted medieval village in Stanton Lacy (Shrops) as some forms from Shrops suggest; note Christopher Whichcote 1599 Christopher Whitchcott 1610 in IGI (Burford Shrops); Christofer Whitchcott or Whichcott 1620 in PROB 11 (Stoke Shrops). The place-name may derive from Old English wīc ‘dwelling specialized farm’ + cot ‘cottage hut shelter’.

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Last name frequency

Geographic distribution of the 12,062 individuals with the name CHRISTOPHER on Geneanet.

This last name in the family trees

See below the Geneanet members' family trees which contain the last name CHRISTOPHER