Christian originated as a baptismal name used by persons of the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

religion. It is now a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

borne by males, and by females as Christiana and other feminized variants. A historically commonly used abbreviation (used for example on English 17th-century church monuments and pedigrees) is ''Xpian'', using the Greek

Chi Rho The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters— chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek word ( Christos) in such a way t ...

Christogram A Christogram ( la, Monogramma Christi) is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbolism, religious symbol within the Christian Church. One of the oldes ...

, short for , Christ. The Greek form of the baptismal name is , a Christian. It can also be derived from the Greek , Christ, and Ioannes, Greek form of John. The name denotes a follower of Jesus Christ, thus a

. It has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, originally a male given name. It was later used for females, without any feminising word endings. Today, the name is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Norway,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, Finland, Romania, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Bulgaria and the Philippines. In Europe, it is almost exclusively used as a male name, but in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was a popular female first name in Scotland. Female variants of the name include ''

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...

'', '' Christina'', ''

Christiane Christiane is a given name, a form of the Latin ''Christiana'', feminine form of ''Christianuis'' (see Christian), or a Latinized form of Middle English ''Christin'' 'Christian' (Old English ''christen'', from Latin).. A short form is Chris. Alter ...

'', '' Cristiane'', '' Kristen'', '' Cristina'', '' Kristin'', and '' Kirsten''. Holders of the name ''Christina'' may go by the nicknames or shortened forms '' Chris'', ''

Chrissy Chrissy is a given name or nickname for males and females, short for Christina, Chris, Christian, Christine, Christmas, or Charisma, that may refer to: People with given name Female * Chrissy Amphlett (1959–2013), Australian musician * Chrissy C ...

'', ''Tina'', or ''Xian''.

In other languages

* Christianus ( Latin) *

Chrétien (disambiguation) Chrétien is a given name and surname. In the French language, ''Chrétien'' is the masculine form of "Christian", as noun, adjective or adverb. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Chrétien de Troyes, 12th-century French poet * C ...

(

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

) * Christian (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, Norwegian,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

) *

Christiaan Christiaan is a Dutch, Flemish and Afrikaans male given name. An archaic spelling of the name was Christiaen with "ae" to indicate the long sound "a". People with the name include: * Christiaan van Adrichem (1533–1585), Dutch Catholic priest and ...

( Afrikaans, Dutch) *

Karsten Karsten or Carsten is a both a given name and a surname. It is believed to be either derived from a Low German form of Christian, or "man from karst". Notable persons with the name include: Given name ;Carsten: * Carsten Charles Sabathia (born 1 ...

(

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

, Dutch) * קריסטלעך (Qrystlʻk) (

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

) * נוצרי ( Hebrew) * Crisdean (

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

) * Creestee (

Manx Manx (; formerly sometimes spelled Manks) is an adjective (and derived noun) describing things or people related to the Isle of Man: * Manx people **Manx surnames * Isle of Man It may also refer to: Languages * Manx language, also known as Manx ...

) * Cristiano ( Italian and Portuguese) * Cristian or Cristián ( Spanish,

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

; Romance languages) *

Kristian Kristian is a name in several languages, and is a form of Christian. Meaning in different languages The name is used in several languages, among them Albanian, Slovak, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Bosnian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and Croa ...

( Czech, Slovak) *

(

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

, Finnish,

, Norwegian, Croatian or

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

) *

Kristjan Kristjan is a masculine given name in the Estonian language and Slovenian language. It is a variation of the name Christian. Notable people named Kristjan include: * Kristjan Čujec (born 1988), Slovenian futsal player * Kristjan Fajt (born 1 ...

(

...

, Faroese,

Slovenian Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Sloven ...

) * Kristian, Kristi, Kristo (

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

) * Kristján ( Icelandic) * Kristijan Croatian * Kristian ( Malaysian) * Kristiāns,

Krišjānis Krišjānis is a Latvian language, Latvian masculine given name and masculine surname. The feminine version of the surname is Krišjāne. It is the Latvian version of the name Christian (disambiguation), Christian and may refer to: Given name *Kr ...

, Krišs ( Latvian) * Kristijonas (

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

) *

Krystian Krystian is a Polish language, Polish male given name that is a Polish form of the name Christian (given name), Christian, which means "follower of Christ".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Krystian" Retrieved on 12 January 2016. The name may refer t ...

(

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

) * Krisztián, Keresztény, for the Danish kings ''Keresztély'' ( Hungarian) * Χριστιανός, Christianós ( Greek) * Кристиан ( Russian) * Християн (

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

) * Христиан (

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

) * Кристијан, Kristijan or Христијан,

Hristijan Hristijan is a Macedonian male given name, which is a form of the name Christian, meaning a "follower of Christ".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Christian" Retrieved on 28 January 2016. The name may refer to: *Hristijan Dragarski (born 1992), Mace ...

(

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

) * Християн, Христиан, Кристиян or Кристиан (

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

) * քրիստոնյա ( Armenian) * كريستيان ( Arabic) * مسیحی ( Persian) * عیسائی ( Urdu) * খ্রীষ্টান (Khrishtan)

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

* ক্রিস্টান (Krishtan) Sylheti * ईसाई (Īsā'ī) ( Hindi) * ख्रीष्टियन (Khrīṣṭiyana) (

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

) * ਮਸੀਹੀ (Masīhī) (

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

) * ಕ್ರಿಶ್ಚಿಯನ್ (Kriściyan) ( Kannada) * క్రిస్టియన్(Krisṭiyan) (

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

) * கிரிஸ்துவர் (Kiristuvar) (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

) * คริสเตียน (Khris̄teīyn) (

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

) * 克里斯蒂安 (Kèlǐsīdìān) (

Chinese Simplified Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters used in mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore, as prescribed by the ''Table of General Standard Chinese Characters''. Along with traditional Chinese characters, they are one o ...

) * (Kèlǐsīdìān) (

Chinese Traditional Traditional Chinese characters are one type of standard Chinese character sets of the contemporary written Chinese. The traditional characters had taken shapes since the clerical change and mostly remained in the same structure they took at ...

) * クリスチャン (Kurisuchan) ( Japanese) * 크리스천 (Keuliseucheon) ( Korean) * Karaitiana ( Maori) * ක්‍රිස්තියානි ( Kristiyani) ( Sinhala language) Sinhala

Characters

* Christian, protagonist of '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' by John Bunyan * Baron Christian de Neuvillette, a character in the play '' Cyrano de Bergerac'' by

Edmond Rostand Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (, , ; 1 April 1868 – 2 December 1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with t ...

* Christian Cage (born 1973), ring name of professional wrestler and actor Jay Reso * Christian Shephard, a character on the ABC series ''Lost'' *

Christian Troy Dr. Christian Troy is a fictional character played by Julian McMahon on the FX Networks series ''Nip/Tuck''. The show revolves around McNamara/Troy, the plastic surgery practice he runs with his business partner and best friend, Sean McNamara. ...

, a character on the FX original series '' Nip/Tuck'' * Christian, a character in Diana Wynne Jones' fantasy novel ''Black Maria'' *

Christian Grey Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

, a character from

E. L. James Erika Mitchell (born 7 March 1963), known by her pen name E. L. James, is a British author. She wrote the best-selling erotic romance trilogy ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', ''Fifty Shades Darker'', and ''Fifty Shades Freed'', along with the companio ...

novel ''

50 Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

'' * Christian, a character in the movie '' Moulin Rouge!''

Males with the given name Christian

* Saint Christian of Cologne, died AD 1002, abbot of St-Pantaleon in Cologne (Germany) * Saint Christian of Clogher, died AD 1138, bishop of Clogher (Ireland) and brother of

St. Malachy Malachy (}; Modern ga, Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair; ) ( 1094 – 2 November 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to the apocryphal ...

* Several List of Danish monarchs#House of Oldenburg, kings of Denmark * Several Prince Christian (disambiguation), princes *Christian of Oliva, 13th century Cistercian monk, first bishop of Prussia *Christiaan Huygens, Dutch astronomer, physicist, mathematician and inventor *Christian IX of Denmark (1818-1906), King of Denmark (1863-1906) *Christian X of Denmark (1870-1947), King of Denmark (1912-1947) and Iceland (1918-1944) *Christian Abbiati (born 1977), Italian footballer *Christian Alexander (born 1990), American actor *Christian Annan (born 1978), former Ghanaian-born Hong Kong professional footballer *Christian Augustus, Count Palatine of Sulzbach (1622–1708), German ruler *Christian Bables (born 1992), Filipino actor *Christian Baciotti, French musician *Christian Bakkerud (1984–2011), Danish racing driver *Christian Bale (born 1974), English actor *Christian Barmore (born 1999), American football player *Christian Bauman (born 1970), American writer *Christian Bautista (born 1981), Filipino singer *Christian Benford (born 2000), American football player *Christian Benteke (born 1990), Belgian footballer *Christian Bergman (born 1988), American baseball player *Christian Bethancourt (born 1991), Panamanian baseball player *Christian Biet (1952–2020), French theatrical scholar *Christian Bizot (1928–2002), French winemaker, head of the Bollinger Champagne house *Christian Bonaud (1957–2019), French Islamologist *Christian Boros (born 1964), German advertising agency founder and art collector *Christian Braun (basketball), Christian Braun (born 2001), American basketball player *Christian Bryant (born 1992), American football player *Christian Clemens (born 1991), German footballer *Christian Cooke (born 1987), English actor *Christian Corrêa Dionisio (born 1975), Brazilian football player *Christian Daniel, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter *Christian Danner (born 1958), German racing driver *Christian Darrisaw (born 1999), American football player *Christian DiLauro (born 1994), American football player *Christian Dior (1905–1957), French fashion designer *Christian Doppler (1803–1853), Austrian mathematician and physicist *Christian Ehrhoff (born 1982), German ice hockey player *Christian Elliss (born 1999), American football player *Christian Fernández Salas, Spanish football player *Christian Fittipaldi (born 1971), Brazilian racing driver *Christian Fox (born 1981), Scottish footballer *Christian Friedrich (baseball) (born 1987), American baseball player *Christian Fuchs (born 1986), Austrian footballer *Christian Garcia (born 1985), American baseball player *Christian Gonzalez (born 2002), American football player *Christian Hackenberg (born 1995), American football player *Christian Hall (2001–2020), Asian-American man killed by police *Christian Harris (born 2001), American football player *Christian Heidel (born 1963), German football executive *Christian Holmes (born 1997), American football player *Christian Hosoi (born 1967), skateboarder *Christian Jessen (born 1977), English doctor and television presenter *Christian Johnson (born 1986), American football player *Christian Kern (born 1966), Austrian businessman and politician *Christian Kirk (born 1996), American football player *Christian Kum (born 1985), Dutch footballer *Christian Lacroix (born 1951), French fashion designer *Christian Latouche (born 1939/1940), French billionaire businessman *Christian Louboutin (born 1964), French footwear designer *Christian Jimenez (born 1986), American soccer player *Christian Julius de Meza, Danish army commander *Christian Kälin, Swiss lawyer and businessman *Christian Klien (born 1983), Austrian racing driver *Christian Koloko (born 2000), Cameroonian basketball player *Christian Laettner (born 1969), American basketball player *Christian Lindner (born 1971), German politician *Christian Lindner (journalist), Christian Lindner (born 1959), German journalist *Christian Maldini (born 1996), Italian footballer *Christian Matthew (born 1996), American football player *Christian McCaffrey (born 1996), American football player *Christian Miller (American football) (born 1996), American football player *Christian Navarro (born 1991), American actor *Christian Okoye (born 1961), American football player *Christian Pampel (born 1979), German volleyball player *Christian Panucci (born 1973), Italian footballer *Christian Penigaud (born 1964), French beach volleyball player *Christian Ponder (born 1988), American football player *Christian Potenza (born 1972), Canadian actor *Christian Pulisic (born 1998), American footballer *Christian Quéré (1955–2006), French football player *Christian Redl (born 1948), German actor and musician *Christian Reiher (born 1984), German mathematician *Christian Riganò (born 1974), Italian footballer *Christian Rosenmeier (1874-1932), American politician *Christian Rozeboom (born 1997), American football player *Christian Sam (born 1996), American football player *Christian Scotland-Williamson (born 1993), American football player *Christian Siriano (born 1985), American fashion designer *Christian Sitepu (born 1986), Indonesian basketball player *Christian Slater (born 1969), American actor *Christian Tămaș (born 1964), Romanian writer and translator *Christian Taylor (athlete), Christian Taylor, American athlete *Christian Terlizzi (born 1979), Italian footballer *Christian Uphoff (born 1998), American football player *Christian Vasquez (born 1977), Filipino actor *Christian Vieri (born 1973), Italian footballer *Christian Villanueva (born 1991), Mexican professional baseball player *Christian von Koenigsegg (born 1972), Founder and CEO of Koenigsegg Automotive *Christian Wade (born 1991), British American football and rugby player *Christian Watson (born 1999), American football player *Christian Wilkins (born 1995), American football player *Christian Wirth (1885–1944), German Nazi SS concentration camp commander *Christian Wulff (born 1959), German politician *Christian Yelich (born 1991), American baseball player *Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), Danish author * A ring name of Canadian wrestler Christian (wrestler), Jay Reso *Christian Eriksen (born 1992), Danish professional footballer

Females with the given name Christian

*Christian Maclagan (1811–1901) Scottish Antiquarian *Christian Pitre (born 1983), Actress *Christian Ramsay (1786–1839), British botanist *Christian Serratos (born 1990), American actress

References

{{given name Norwegian masculine given names French masculine given names Swedish masculine given names English masculine given names German masculine given names Danish masculine given names Icelandic masculine given names Irish masculine given names Scottish masculine given names Swiss masculine given names