The surname Christopher
A Greek patronymic surname, carried by 29,067 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈkɹɪs.tə.fɚ/ 3 syllables Soundex C623 Also a first name
Origin
Greek origin
From Late Latin Christophorus, from Koine Greek Χρῑστόφορος (Khrīstóphoros, “carrier of Christ”), from Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós, “Christ”) + φόρος (phóros, “carrier, bearer”), from φέρειν (phérein, “to carry, to bear”) + -ος (-os, “-er: forming agent nouns”), from the legend of Saint Christopher carrying the infant Jesus across a river.
Christopher is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
One of 45 Greek surnames on this site.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 29,067 people named Christopher in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 10,622 Americans. That is up 2.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 28,493.
Who is named Christopher
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
74% of people named Christopher identified as white (not Hispanic), 19% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
- White (not Hispanic) 74%
- Black (not Hispanic) 19%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.5%
- Two or more races 2.2%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 1.3%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%
Famous Christophers
7 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Dennis ChristopherAmerican actor, born 1950
- William ChristopherAmerican actor (1932-2016)
- Gerard ChristopherAmerican actor, born 1959
- Josh ChristopherAmerican basketball player (born 2001)
- Tyler ChristopherAmerican actor (1972-2023)
- Kay ChristopherActress, model (1926-2012)
- George H. ChristopherAmerican politician (1888-1959)
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Surnames that sound like Christopher
Christopher has the Soundex code C623, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code C623.
Other Greek surnames
Questions
- Where does the surname Christopher come from?
- From Late Latin Christophorus, from Koine Greek Χρῑστόφορος (Khrīstóphoros, “carrier of Christ”), from Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós, “Christ”) + φόρος (phóros, “carrier, bearer”), from φέρειν (phérein, “to carry, to bear”) + -ος (-os, “-er: forming agent nouns”), from the legend of Saint…
- How common is the surname Christopher?
- 29,067 people in the United States had the surname Christopher in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,622 Americans. It ranked 1,214th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Christopher?
- In the 2010 Census, 74% of people named Christopher identified as white (not Hispanic), and 19% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Christopher?
- Dennis Christopher, American actor, followed by William Christopher.
- Where is the surname Christopher most common?
- Wikidata records people named Christopher in the United States.
- How do you pronounce Christopher?
- Christopher is /ˈkɹɪs.tə.fɚ/, 3 syllables.
- What type of surname is Christopher?
- Christopher is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Christopher getting more or less common?
- More common. 28,493 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 29,067 in 2010, up 2.0%.
- Is Christopher also a first name?
- Yes. Christopher is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.