Christopher

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Christopher

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Christopher is the English form of a Greek name, Christophoros (Khristophoros), from a Greek vocabulary word. Originally it meant “Bearing Christ” (in one’s heart).

History:
Christopher first appeared in England in 1201, but remained uncommon until the 15th century. Then, it became quite common in England and Scotland. Christopher experienced a decline in the 18th century, but was revived in the 19th. It has been very popular in the late 20th century.

Pronunciation: kris-toe-ferr.

Diminutives:
Cornish: Kitto.
Czech: Krysa, Krysek.
English: Chris, Kit.
Finnish: Risto.
French: Strophe.
German: Stoffel.
Hawaiian: Kilika.
Polish: Krysiu, Kryzys.
Scandinavian: Kris.
Scottish: Cristoll, Christall.
Spanish: Cris.

Alternates: Christoper, Cristofer, Cristofor, Cristopher, Christofor.
Catalan: Cristòfol.
Czech: Krystof.
Danish: Christoffer.
French: Christophe, Chrisçtoffe.
German: Christofer, Christoffer, Christoph.
Hawaiian: Kilikopela.
Hungarian: Kristof.
Irish Gaelic: Críostóir.
Italian: Christoforo, Cristoforo.
Manx: Cristell.
Polish: Krysztof, Krzysztof.
Portuguese: Cristovão.
Scandinavian: Kristoffer, Kristopher.
Scottish (Medieval): Kester.
Spanish: Christóbal, Cristobal, Cristoval.

Surnames:
Danish: Christofferson.

See also: Chris, Christy, Kristopher.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Cristóbal de Castillejo (1490-1550)
Spanish poet.
Cristóbal de Morales (1500-1553)
Spanish composer.
Christopher Tye (1500-1573)
English composer.
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)
English playwright.
Christopher Simpson (1605-1669)
English composer.
Krzysztof Opalinski (1609-1655)
Polish writer.
Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723)
English architect.
Christoph Dientzenhofer (1655-1722)
German architect.
Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)
German composer.
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)
German compser.
Christopher Smart (1722-1771)
English poet.
Christopher Anstey (1724-1805)
British poet.
Christoph Martin Wieland (1733-1813)
German poet.
Christopher John Brennan (1870-1932)
Australian poet.
Christopher Morley (1890-1957)
American writer.
Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986)
English-American novelist.
Christopher Fry (Harris) (1907-)
British playwright.
Christopher Logue (1926-)
English poet.
Christopher Okigbo (1932-1967)
Nigerian poet.
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-)
Polish composer.
Christopher Keene (1946-1995)
American musician.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Christopher Dock (1698-1771)
American educator. Wrote one the first books on education in America.
Christopher Columbus Langdell (1826-1906)
American educator. Dean of Harvard Law school. Originator of the Case Method for teaching law.
Christopher Lasch (1932-1994)
American scholar and social critic.

Fictional Characters:
Christopher Sly
From Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Miscellaneous:
Christopher Columbus ( Italian: Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish: Cristóbal Colón) (1451-1506)
Italian explorer. “Discovered” the Americas.
Christophe Plantin (1520-1589)
French printer. Published the Antwerp Polyglot Bible.
Christopher Gist (1706-1759)
American explorer of the Ohio Valley.
Kit (Christopher) Carson (1809-1868)
American frontiersman and folk hero.
Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996)
Son of A.A. Milne, and a character in his “Winnie the Pooh” books.

Places:
Cristóbal
Panama. Named for Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón).
Cristóbal
Panama. Named for Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón).
San Cristóbal
Dominican Republic
San Cristóbal
Solomon Islands
San Cristóbal
Venezuela
San Cristóbal Island
Galapagos Islands

Political Figures:
Christopher, Count of Oldenburg (German: Christoph, Graf von Oldenburg) (1504-1566)
German soldier and leader of Count’s War (1533-1536).
Sir Christopher Hatton (1540-1591)
Lord Chancellor of England from 1587 to 1591.
Christopher G. Memminger (1803-1888)
Secretary of the Treasury for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Religious Figures:
Saint Christopher
Patron saint of travelers, and motorists. May not have actually existed.
Christopher (?-904)
Antipope from 903 to 904 Supposedly strangled.

Royalty:
Christopher III (1418-1448)
King of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Called Christopher of Bavaria (Danish Chirstoffer af Bayern, Swedish: Kristofer av Bayern)

Scientists:
Christopher Hansteen (1794-1873)
Norwegian astronomer.
Christopher Latham Sholes (1819-1890)
American inventor of the typewriter.
Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton (1901-1983)
British nuclear engineer.
Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell (1910-1999)
British engineer. Invented the Hovercraft.

Singers and Entertainers:
Christopher Beeston (1570-1638)
English actor.
Christopher Lee (1922-)
British actor.
Christopher Plummer (1929-)
Canadian actor.
Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996)
Polish filmmaker.
Christopher Walken 1953-)
American actor.
Christopher Reeve (1952-)
American actor.
Christopher Wallace (Biggie Smalls, Notorious B.I.G) (1973-1997)
American rap singer.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
1.035 % named Christopher
0.197 % named Chris
0.025 % named Kristopher
0.006 % named Christoper
0.011 % named Kris
0.004 % named Cristobal
0.004 % named Cristopher
0.004 % named Kristofer

Popularity of Christopher:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 70th most popular.
1850: 104th most popular.
1875: 153rd most popular.
1900-1910: 333rd most popular.
1910-1920: 348th most popular.
1920-1930: 385th most popular.
1930-1940: 367th most popular.
1940-1950: 155th most popular.
1950-1960: 49th most popular.
1960-1970: 20th most popular.
1967: 10th most popular.
1968: 8th most popular.
1969: 8th most popular.
1970: 6th most popular.
1971: 6th most popular.
1972: 2nd most popular.
1973: 2nd most popular.
1974: 3rd most popular.
1975: 2nd most popular.
1976: 3rd most popular.
1977: 3rd most popular.
1978: 3rd most popular.
1979: 3rd most popular.
1980: 3rd most popular.
1981: 2nd most popular.
1982: 2nd most popular.
1983: 2nd most popular.
1984: 2nd most popular.
1985: 2nd most popular.
1986: 2nd most popular.
1987: 2nd most popular.
1988: 2nd most popular.
1989: 2nd most popular.
1990: 2ndmost popular.
1991: 2nd most popular.
1992: 2nd most popular.
1993: 2nd most popular.
1994: 2nd most popular.
1994: 2nd most popular.
1995: 2nd most popular.
1996: 4th most popular.
1997: 4th most popular.
1998: 5th most popular.
1999: 5th most popular.
2000: 5th most popular.
2001: 5th most popular.
2002: 8th most popular.
2003: 9th most popular.

In France...
1900-1980: N/A
1982: 181st most popular.
1990: 39th most popular.
2000: 104th most popular.

In Ireland...
1998: 41st most popular.
1999: 40th most popular.
2000: 43rd most popular.
2001: 42nd most popular.
2002: 47th most popular.
2003: 47th most popular.

Popularity of Cristobal:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1930: N/A
1930-1940: 936th most popular.
1940-1950: 836th most popular.
1950-1960: N/A
1960-1970: 964th most popular.
1970-1990: N/A
1990: 822nd most popular.
1991: 898th most popular.
1992: 942nd most popular.
1993: 851st most popular.
1994: 846th most popular.
1995: 872nd most popular.
1996: 934th most popular.
1997: 939th most popular.
1998: N/A
1999: 983rd most popular.
2000: 818th most popular.
2001: 709th most popular.
2002: 990th most popular.
2003: 945th most popular.

Popularity of Kris:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1940: N/A
1940-1950: 974th most popular.
1950-1960: 455th most popular.
1960-1970: 424th most popular.
1970-1980: 435th most popular.
1980-1990: 933rd most popular.
1990-2000: N/A

Popularity of Cris:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1950: N/A
1950-1960: 878th most popular.
1960-1970: 964th most popular.
1970-2000: N/A

Popularity of Christop:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1980: N/A
1980-1990: 946th most popular.
1990-2000: N/A

Popularity of Christoper:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1980: N/A
1980-1990: 900th most popular.
1990-2000: N/A

Popularity of Cristopher:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1980: N/A
1980-1990: 814th most popular.
1990: 684th most popular.
1991: 707th most popular.
1992: 680th most popular.
1993: 691st most popular.
1994: 718th most popular.
1995: 637th most popular.
1996: 683rd most popular.
1997: 599th most popular.
1998: 637th most popular.
1999: 651st most popular.
2000: 568th most popular.
2001: 587th most popular.
2002: 589th most popular.
2003: 547th most popular.

Popularity of Kristofer:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1980: N/A
1980-1990: 551st most popular.
1990: 554th most popular.
1991: 584th most popular.
1992: 582nd most popular.
1993: 594th most popular.
1994: 611th most popular.
1995: 708th most popular.
1996: 722nd most popular.
1997: 733rd most popular.
1998: 840th most popular.
1999: 853rd most popular.
2000: 842nd most popular.
2001: 940th most popular.
2002: 971st most popular.
2003: N/A

Popularity of Kristoffer:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1980: N/A
1980-1990: 828th most popular.
1990: 969th most popular.
1991: 986th most popular.
1992: N/A

Popularity of Christophe:
Popularity (for newborns):
In France...
1900: 165th most popular.
1909: 187th most popular.
1910-1930: N/A
1938: 190th most popular.
1940: 177th most popular.
1950: 140th most popular.
1960 38th most popular.
1970: 2nd most popular.
1980: 5th most popular.
1990: 43rd most popular.
199th: 144th most popular.
2000: N/A