# Christmas (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/christmas/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 5,599 |
| US rank (2010) | 6,122 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 55,143 people |
| Change since 2000 | +7.6% (5,204 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɹɪsməs/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Christmass, Christmasse, Xmas, X-mas, Xtmas, Crimmas |

## Etymology

The proper noun is derived from Middle English Cristemasse, Criste-mas (“Christmas Day; season of Christmas; Christmas festivities”) [and other forms], from Old English Cristes mæsse (“Christmas”, literally “Christ’s mass”), from Crist (“Christ”) + -es (possessive marker) + mæsse (“a mass (celebration of the Eucharist)”). The English word is analysable as Christ + -mas (suffix denoting a holiday or sacred day). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Kristmisse (“Christmas”), West Frisian Krystmis (“Christmas”), Dutch Kerstmis (“Christmas”), German Low German Karstmis (“Christmas”). Doublet of Kiritimati. The noun, adjective, and verb are derived from the proper noun. Adjective etymology 1, adjective sense 1 (“red and green in color”) refers to these colors being traditionally associated with Christmas.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Christmas in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 53% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 40% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Christmas in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Christmas

- Rakeem Christmas, American basketball player
- Eric Christmas, British actor (1916-2000)
- Karima Christmas, American basketball player (born 1989)
- Dionte Christmas, American basketball player (born 1986)

## Similar surnames

Christensen, Christian, Christopher, Christiansen, Christie, Christy, Christianson, Christman, Christenson, Crist, Christ, Christopherson.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.