Christopher is the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

version of a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

" or "

Anointed Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or oth ...

", and φέρειν (''phérein''), "to bear"; hence the "Christ-bearer". As a given name, 'Christopher' has been in use since the 10th century. In English, Christopher may be abbreviated as " Chris", "Topher", and sometimes "

Kit Kit may refer to: Places *Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit * Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province * Kit Hill, Cornwall, England People * Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kit (surname) Animals * Young animals: ...

". It was frequently the most popular male first name in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, having been in the top twenty in England and Wales from the 1940s until 1995, although it has since dropped out of the top 100. The name is most common in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and not so common in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, or

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

People with the given name

Antiquity and Middle Ages

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is veneration, venerated by several Christianity, Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Deciu ...

(died 251), saint venerated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians *

Christopher (Domestic of the Schools) Christopher ( el, Χριστόφορος, ) was the commander-in-chief (Domestic of the Schools) of the Byzantine army during the 870s, and scored significant victories against the Paulicians. Biography Nothing is known of Christopher's origin, da ...

(fl. 870s), Byzantine general *

Christopher Lekapenos Christopher Lekapenos or Lecapenus ( gr, Χριστόφορος Λακαπηνός, Christóphoros Lakapenōs) was the eldest son of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos () and co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire from 921 until his death in 931. Chris ...

(died 931), Byzantine co-emperor *

Christopher of Antioch Christopher (Arabic: خريسطوفورس, ''Kharīsṭūfūrus'') was Chalcedonian Patriarch of Antioch from 960 to 967. A native of Baghdad who was originally named ʻĪsá, he moved to Syria under the rule of Sayf al-Dawla, the Hamdanid emir ...

(died 967), Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch *

Christopher I of Denmark Christopher I ( da, Christoffer I) (1219 – 29 May 1259) was King of Denmark between 1252 and 1259. He was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark by his second wife, Berengaria of Portugal. He succeeded his brothers Eric IV Plovpenning and Abel of D ...

(1219–1259), King of Denmark (1252–1259) *

Christopher II of Denmark Christopher II (; 29 September 1276 – 2 August 1332) was King of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was a younger son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in an almost total ...

(1276-1332), King of Denmark (1320–1326, 1329–1332) * Christopher of Bavaria (1416–1448), union king of Denmark (1440–1448), Sweden (1441–1448), and Norway (1442–1448) *

Christopher of Werle Christopher of Werle, Prince of the Wends (born: before 1385; died: 25 August 1425) was from 1395 or earlier to 1425, Lord of Werle-Goldberg and Werle-Waren. He succeeded his father, who died between 1385 and 1395. He was the son of John VI of We ...

(died 1425), Prince of the Wends *

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

(1451–1506), Italian navigator, explorer, and colonizer who captained the first European ship to reach the Americas

Modern

Christopher (singer) Christopher Lund Nissen (; born 31 January 1992) is a Danish singer from Copenhagen, signed to EMI Denmark. In November 2012, he won an award at the Danish Music Awards 2012. He was awarded New Thinker of the Year (Årets nytænker), given by S ...

(born 1992), Danish singer *

Christopher, Count of Oldenburg Christopher, Count of Oldenburg (German: ''Christoph, Graf von Oldenburg'') (c. 1504 – 4 August 1566) was German count and regent in eastern Denmark between 1534–36 during the Count's Feud (Danish: ''Grevens Fejde'') which was named after ...

(c. 1504–1566) *

Christopher, Duke of Brunswick-Harburg Christopher, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Harburg, also known as ''Christoph'' or ''Christoffel'' (21 August 1570 in Harburg – 7 July 1606 in Harburg) was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Harburg. Life Christopher was a son of Duke Otto II of ...

(1570–1606) *

Christopher, Duke of Mecklenburg Christopher, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch (30 July 1537 – 4 March 1592) was a son of Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg. He was Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch, as well as administrator of Ratzeburg and of the Commandery of Mirow. Life Chr ...

(1537–1592) * Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1888–1940), prince, son of George I, King of Greece *

Christopher of Prague Christopher of Prague, born 29 June 1953 as Radim Pulec is the Orthodox Metropolitan of the Czech lands and Slovakia since 2006 and Archbishop of Prague. He has participated in numerous theological conferences and has represented the Church of th ...

(born 1953), primate-elect of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia *

Christopher Abbott Christopher Jacob Abbott (born February 1, 1986) is an American actor. Abbott made his feature film debut in ''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' (2011). Abbott's other notable films include '' Hello I Must Be Going'' (2012) '' The Sleepwalker'' (2014) ...

(born 1986), American actor *

Christopher J. Alexis Jr. Christopher Javaughn Alexis Jr. (born 1 May 1996) is a Grenadian road cyclist who is the 2016 Grenada Cycling Federation’s (GCF) National Cycling Champion. Career achievements Results 2017 International Races 2nd — SCCCC Season Standings ...

(born 1996), Grenadian road cyclist *

Christopher Awdry Christopher Vere Awdry (born 2 July 1940) is an English author. He is best known for his contributions to ''The Railway Series'' of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his late father, Wilbert Awdry (1911–1997). He has ...

(born 1940), English author is best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine *

Christopher Bartley Bartley Christopher Frueh (born 1963) is a clinical psychologist and American author. Early life and education Frueh was born in New York City in 1963. He received his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Kenyon College in 1985 and his PhD in Cli ...

(born 1963), American psychologist *

Christopher Bengtsson Christopher Bengtsson (born October 19, 1993) is a Sweden, Swedish professional ice hockey player who currently plays for IF Björklöven of the HockeyAllsvenskan (Allsv). Playing career Bengtsson previously played for Färjestad BK at the Junior ...

(born 1993), Swedish professional ice hockey player *

Chris Broach Christopher Robert Broach (born September 5, 1976 in Madison, Wisconsin) is one of the guitarists/vocalists in the 1990s emo band Braid. Broach joined Braid in 1994, recording his guitar parts on the band's first 7-inch release a week later. ...

(born 1976), American musician, songwriter, and recording artist. *

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

(born 1989), American singer and songwriter * Christopher Cerf (born 1941), American author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer *

Christopher Chung Christopher Chung Shu-kun, SBS, JP (; born 31 March 1957, commonly known as "Tree Gun") was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 2012, representing the Hong Kong Island constituency. He is also former chairman of Eastern Distri ...

(born 1998), Australian-born Hong Kong professional footballer *

Kris Clyburn Kristopher "Kris" Joshon Clyburn (born April 20, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Mitteldeutscher BC of the German Basketball Bundesliga. Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Clyburn pla ...

(born 1996), American basketball player for

Maccabi Rishon LeZion Maccabi Rishon LeZion is a sport club in Rishon LeZion, Israel. The professional teams associated with it include: *Maccabi Rishon LeZion (basketball) *Maccabi Rishon LeZion (handball) * Maccabi Rishon LeZion (badminton) There was also a footb ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

* Christopher Comstock (born 1992), American electronic music producer and DJ, better known by his stage name Marshmello * Chris Cornell (born 1964) American musician, songwriter, singer, rhythm guitarist and recording artist * Christopher Cradock (1862–1914), English

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer *

Christopher Cross Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. He won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1980), and "Arthur's T ...

(born 1950), American musician *

Christopher Dorner Christopher Jordan Dorner (June 4, 1979 – February 12, 2013) was a former officer of the Los Angeles Police Department who, beginning on February 3, 2013, committed a series of shootings in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County ...

(1973–2013), American former LA police officer and spree killer *

Christopher Doyle Christopher Doyle, also known as Dù Kěfēng (Mandarin) or Dou Ho-Fung (Cantonese) () (born 2 May 1952) is an Australian-Hong Kong cinematographer. He has worked on over fifty Chinese-language films, being best known for his collaborations ...

(born 1952), Australian-Hong Kong cinematographer *

Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor. A two-time BAFTA Award nominee, he is best known for his television and film work, which includes his role as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC sci-fi series '' ...

(born 1964), English actor * Christopher Evans (born 1981), American actor *

Christopher R. Fee Christopher R. Fee is an American philologist and medievalist. He is a professor of English at Gettysburg College. Biography An alumnus of Saint Edward High School, the English Departments of Loyola University Chicago and Baldwin-Wallace College ...

, American medievalist *

Christopher Ford Christopher Ford may refer to: *Christopher Ford (screenwriter), American film screenwriter, producer, and actor * Christopher Ashley Ford (born 1967), American lawyer and government official *Chris Ford Christopher Joseph Ford (born January 11 ...

, American screenwriter *

Christopher E. Gerty Christopher E. Gerty (born October 19, 1975) is an American aerospace engineer who worked on NASA's Constellation Program. Gerty is an advocate of NASA's Open Government Initiative and is a leading voice on the concept of participatory exploratio ...

(born 1975), American aerospace engineer and aquanaut * Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go (born 1974), Filipino politician *

Christopher Guarin Christopher Guarin (ca. 1970 – January 5, 2012) was a Filipino journalist—an AM radio block timer show host and a local tabloid publisher and editor-in-chief—murdered in General Santos City, Mindanao, Philippines. Guarin was the 150th ...

, Filipino journalist who was murdered *

Sir Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton KG (1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. Early years Sir ...

(1540-1591), English politician and 'favourite' of Queen Elizabeth 1st * Chris Hemsworth (born 1983), Australian actor * Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011), English American author and journalist * Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986), English American novelist * Christopher Allan Hector Perera Jayawardena, Sri Lankan Sinhala army officer * Christopher Katongo (born 1982), Zambian international footballer * Christopher Lee (disambiguation) * Kristoffer Lindberg (born 1992), Swedish politician * Christopher Lloyd (born 1938), American actor * Christopher Lloyd (screenwriter) (born 1960), American screenwriter * Christopher Maloney (English singer) (born 1977), British singer-songwriter * Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), English dramatist * Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (born 1977), English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist. * Christopher Meloni (born 1961), American actor * Chris Messina (open-source advocate), Christopher Messina (born 1981), American inventor of the hashtag * Christopher Robin Milne (1920–1996), English son of author A. A. Milne * Christopher Morley (1890–1957), American journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet * Christopher Newsom (1983–2007), American murder victim * Christopher Nolan (born 1970), British-American film director and producer * Christopher Norris (actress), American actress * Christopher Nowinski (born 1978), American professional wrestler * Christopher Ober (born 1954), Canadian-American material scientist * Christopher Ondaatje (born 1933), Sri Lankan Briton businessman and adventurer * Christopher O'Neill (born 1974), husband of Princess Madeleine of Sweden * Christopher Paolini (born 1983), American author * Christopher Stuart Patterson (born 1842), American Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School * Christopher Pike (author) (born 1954), American author * Chris Pine (born 1980), American actor * Christopher Pratt (born 1935), Canadian painter and printmaker * Chris Pratt (born 1979), American actor * Christopher Plummer (1929–2021), Canadian actor * Christopher Reeve (1952–2004), American actor * Christopher Ruocchio, American author and editor * Christopher Samba (born 1984), former Blackburn Rovers Captain * Christopher Scarver (born 1969), American robber and serial killer; best known for killing Jeffrey Dahmer * Christopher Smart (1722–1771), English poet * Chris Squire (1948-2015), English bassist (Yes (band), Yes) * Christopher Tingley (born c. 1950), Arabic translator * Christopher Tolkien (1924–2020), third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien * Christopher Tsui, Hong Kong-based businessman and a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse owner * Christopher Walken (born 1943), American actor * Chris Whelpdale (born 1987), English professional footballer * Christopher Wilder (1945–1984), American serial killer and rapist * Christopher Woodrow (born 1977), American movie producer * Christopher Wren (1632–1723), English architect

People with the surname

* Alvin Christopher, first elected to office as an independent in 1995 * Ann Christopher (born 1947), British sculptor * Anthony (Tony) Christopher (born 1952), CEO and president of Landmark Entertainment Group * Bostin Christopher, American actor * Byron Christopher (born 1949), Canadian news reporter * Chigozie Christopher (born 1992), Nigerian footballer * Joseph Christopher (1955–1993), American serial killer * Josh Christopher (born 2001), American basketball player * Ted Christopher (1958–2017), American racing driver * Tony Christopher, Baron Christopher (born 1925), British businessman, trade unionist, and tax official * Warren Christopher (1925–2011), 63rd United States Secretary of State

Fictional characters

* Christopher Da Silva, a character from the ''Silent Hill (film), Silent Hill'' film franchise. * Christopher Ewing, a character from the American TV series ''Dallas (2012 TV series), Dallas'' * Christopher Gardener, the main character from the 2006 film ''The Pursuit of Happyness'' * Christopher “Chris” Halliwell, son of main character Piper Halliwell of Charmed. * Christopher "Chris" Myers, character from ''The Promise (2016 film), The Promise'' (2016) * Christopher "Chris" Kirkman, a character in ''Bravest Warriors#Cast, Bravest Warriors'' * Christopher Moltisanti, a character from the American TV series ''The Sopranos'' * Christopher Pike (Star Trek), Christopher Pike, captain of the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' NCC-1701 immediately prior to James T. Kirk, from the ''Star Trek (franchise), Star Trek'' franchise including Star Trek: The Original Series, the Original Series, the Star Trek (film), 2009 film by J. J. Abrams, the second season of ''Star Trek: Discovery'', and the upcoming series ''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds''. * Christopher Robin, a character from the 1926 novel ''Winnie-the-Pooh (book), Winnie the Pooh'' and its franchise * Christopher "Chris" Traeger, a character from the American TV series Parks and Recreation * Christopher Turk, a character from the American television series ''Scrubs (TV series), Scrubs'' * Peter Christopher, lead character in the 1960s TV sitcom ''Occasional Wife'' * Christopher "Kit" Walker, the real name of the comic character The Phantom * Christopher Wilde, a character from the 2010 film ''Starstruck (2010 film), Starstruck''

Cognates in other languages

*Afrikaans: Christoffel, Christoforus *Albanian language, Albanian: Kristofer, Kristofor, Kristoforid, Kristo *Arabic language, Arabic: كريستوفر (''Krīstafor, Kristūfar, Krístufer''), اصطفر (''ʔiṣṭufur, ʔiṣṭafur''), عبد المسيح (''ʕabdu l-masīḥ''), خريستو (''Ḵrīstū, Ḵrīstaw, Ḵrīstau'') *Aragonese language, Aragonese: Cristofo *Azerbaijani language, Azerbaijani: Kristofer *Armenian language, Armenian: Քրիստափոր (''Christapor, Krisdapor'') *Basque language, Basque: Kristobal *Belarusian language, Belarusian: Крыстафер (''Krystafier'') *Bengali language, Bengali: ক্রিস্টোফার (Krisţophar) *Breton language, Breton: Kristof, Kristol *Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: Кристофър (''Christofr''), Христофор ("Khristofór") *Catalan language, Catalan: Cristòfor *Chinese language, Chinese: 克里斯托弗 (''Kèlǐsītuōfú''), 克里斯多夫(''Kèlǐsīduōfū''), 克里斯多福 ("Kèlǐsīduōfú'') *Cornish language, Cornish: Kitto *Corsican language, Corsican: Cristofanu *Croatian language, Croatian: Kristofor *Czech language, Czech: Kryštof *Danish language, Danish: Christoffel, Christoffell, Christoffer, Christofher, Christopher, Chriztoffer, Kristofer, Kristofers, Kristoffer, Kristoofer, Kristopher *Dutch language, Dutch: Christoffel, Christoforus, Christophe, Kristof *Esperanto: Kristoforo *Estonian language, Estonian: Christoph, Kristof, Kristofer, Kristoffer, Risto *Faroese language, Faroese: Kristoffur *Finnish language, Finnish: Kristoffer, Risto *Flemish: Christoffel, Kristof *French language, French: Christophe *Galician language, Galician: Cristovo *Genoese dialect, Genoese: Christoffa *German language, German: Christoph, Christof, Christoffer *Georgian language, Georgian: ქრისტეფორე (''K'ristep'ore'') * Greek: Χριστόφορος (''Christóphoros'') *Gujarati language, Gujarati: ક્રિસ્ટોફર (''Krisṭōphara'') *Haitian Creole language, Haitian Creole: Kristòf *Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: Kilikopela, 'Imiloa (direct translation) *Hebrew language, Hebrew: כריסטופר (''Kristofer'') *Standard Hindi, Hindi: क्रिस्टोफर (''Krisṭōphar'') *Hungarian language, Hungarian: Kristóf, Krisztofer *Icelandic language, Icelandic: Kristófer *Irish language, Irish: Críostóir *Italian language, Italian: Cristoforo *Japanese language, Japanese: クリストファー (''Kurisutofā'') *Kannada: ಕ್ರಿಸ್ಟೋಫರ್ (''Krisṭōphar'') *Korean language, Korean: 크리스토퍼 (''Keuriseutopeo'') *Latin language, Latin: Christopherus, Christophorus *Latvian language, Latvian: Kristaps, Kristofers *Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: Kristoforas, Kristupas *Macedonian language, Macedonian: Кристофер (''Kristofer'') *Malayalam language, Malayalam: ക്രിസ്റ്റഫർ (''Kristaphar'') *Maltese language, Maltese: Kristofru, Ħamallu *Marathi language, Marathi: ख्रिस्तोफर (''Khristōphar'') *Middle English: Cristofre *Mongolian language, Mongolian: Кристофер (''Kristofyer'') *Nepali language, Nepali: क्रिस्टोफर (''Krisṭōphar'') *Norwegian language, Norwegian: Kristoffer *Occitan language, Occitan: Cristòl *Persian language, Persian: کریستوفر *Polish language, Polish: Krzysztof *Portuguese language, Portuguese: Cristóvão *Romanian language, Romanian: Hristofor *Russian language, Russian: Христофо́р (''Khristofór'') *Northern Sami language, Sami: Doffá *Sardinian language, Sardinian: Cristolu *Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic: Crìsdean *Serbian language, Serbian: Христофор (''Hristofor'') *Sicilian language, Sicilian: Cristòfuru *Slovak language, Slovak: Krištof *Slovenian language, Slovenian: Krištof *Sorbian languages, Sorbian: Kito *Spanish language, Spanish: Cristóbal, Cristo, Tobolito, Cristóforo *Swahili language, Swahili: Gitte *Swedish language, Swedish: Christoffer, Kristoffer *Tamil language, Tamil: கிறிஸ்டோபர் (''Kiṟisṭōpar'') *Telugu language, Telugu: క్రిస్టోఫర్ (''Krisṭōphar'') *Thai language, Thai: คริสโตเฟอร์ (''Kristofeʼr'') *Turkish language, Turkish: Kristof *Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Христофор (''Khrystofor''), Криштоф (''Kryshtof'') *Urdu language, Urdu: کرسٹوفر *Venetian language, Venetian: Cristoforo *Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Kristoffer, Christopher *Welsh language, Welsh: Cristoffis *Yiddish language, Yiddish: טשריסטאָפער (Tshristofer)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher (Name) Given names of Greek language origin Unisex given names English given names English-language unisex given names English unisex given names