Gender Masculine
Usage English
Meaning & History
From the Late Greek name Christ" [1] [2] [3] , derived from φέρω (phero) meaning "to bear, to carry" [4] . Early Christians used it as a metaphorical name, expressing that they carried Christ in their hearts. In the Middle Ages, literal interpretations of the name's etymology led to legends about a Saint Christopher who carried the young Jesus across a river. He has come to be regarded as the patron saint of travellers.As an English given name, Christopher has been in general use since the 15th century. It became very popular in the second half of the 20th century, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1980s, and nearing it in the United States.In Denmark this name was borne by three kings (their names are usually spelled Christoffer), including the 15th-century Christopher of Bavaria who also ruled Norway and Sweden. Other famous bearers include Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), English architect Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and the fictional character Christopher Robin from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books.
Related Names
VariantKristopher
Other Languages & CulturesKristofor, Kristo (Albanian) Kristapor (Armenian) Hristofor, Hristo (Bulgarian) Kristofor, Krsto (Croatian) Kryštof (Czech) Kristoffer, Chris, Christoffer, Kris (Danish) Christoffel (Dutch) Risto (Estonian) Risto (Finnish) Christophe (French) Christoph, Chris, Christof (German) Christoforos (Greek) Kristóf, Krisztofer (Hungarian) Kristófer (Icelandic) Críostóir, Christy (Irish) Cristoforo (Italian) Christophoros (Late Greek) Christophorus (Late Roman) Kristaps, Kristofers (Latvian) Kristupas (Lithuanian) Hristofor, Hristo, Risto (Macedonian) Kristoffer, Christoffer (Norwegian) Krzysztof, Krzyś, Krzysiek (Polish) Cristóvão (Portuguese) Khristofor (Russian) Hristofor, Risto (Serbian) Krištof (Slovak) Krištof (Slovene) Kito (Sorbian) Cristóbal, Cristopher (Spanish) Kristoffer, Christoffer, Kristofer (Swedish)
Surname DescendantsChristopher, Christophers, Christopherson (English)
Popularity
People think this name is
classic mature formal natural wholesome strong refined serious
Images
Depiction of Saint Christopher by TitianDepiction of Saint Christopher by Titian
Sources & References
- Lexicon of Greek Personal Names, available from https://search.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/browse.html?facet-nymRef=Χριστόφορος.
- Withycombe, Elizabeth Gidley. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. Oxford, 1945, page 30.
- Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford, 1990, page 63.
- Liddell, Scott and Jones. An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, entry fe/rw, available from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0058%3Aentry%3Dfe%2Frw.
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Entry updated May 26, 2026