Christian (given name)

Christian
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈkrɪstʃən, -tiən/
French: [kʁistjɑ̃]
German: [ˈkʁɪsti̯a(ː)n]
Dutch: [ˈkrɪstɕɑn]
Danish: [ˈkʰʁestjæn, ˈkʰʁæstjæn]
Norwegian: [ˈkrɪ̀stɪjɑn]
Swedish: [ˈkrɪ̌sːtɪjan]
GenderUnisex
Other gender
FeminineChristiana
Origin
LanguageGreek
Word/nameΧριστιανός
Meaning"follower of Christ; beloved of God"
Other names
Related namesChristiaan, Cristian, Cristiano, Chris, Kit
See alsoChristian (surname), Christopher

Christian is a unisex given name. It originated as a baptismal name used by persons of the Christian religion. It derives from the Latin Christianus, meaning "follower of Christ." It has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages.[1]

A historically commonly used abbreviation (used for example on English 17th-century church monuments and pedigrees) is Xpian, using the Greek Chi Rho Christogram Χρ, short for Χριστός, Christ. An example is Xpian Rolle, a daughter of George Rolle (d.1552).[2] The Greek form of the baptismal name is Χριστιανός, a Christian. The name denotes a follower of Jesus Christ, thus a Christian. The common noun and adjective christian are found in English starting from the 16th century but the name Christian is found from the 12th century. The Old English form of the noun was christen.[3]

In Europe it was almost exclusively used as a male name but in Britain it was more common for females and used interchangeably with the French Christine.[1] It was common for women in Britain from the middle ages up until the 17th century.[3] Female variants of the name include Christine, Christina, Christiane, Cristiane, Kristen, Cristina, Kristin, and Kirsten.

It is a popular name in English-speaking countries and Northern Europe. In the United States, it has been ranking in the top 100 boy names list for four decades. It peaked in the 90s and ranked 21 in 2006. The most common nickname is Chris.

In other languages

Characters

Males with the given name Christian

Females with the given name Christian

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 55, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  2. ↑ Heraldic visitation of Devon, 1620 Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.652
  3. 1 2 Withycombe, Elizabeth Gidley (1978). The Oxford dictionary of English Christian names (3., reprinted ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-19-869124-2.
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