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| origin = Christianus
| origin = Christianus
| meaning = "follower of [[Christ]]"
| meaning = "follower of [[Christ]]"
| seealso = [[Christian (surname)|Christian]] (surname), [[Christiaan]], [[Cristian (disambiguation)|Cristian]], [[Cristiano]]
| seealso = [[Christian (surname)|Christian]] (surname), [[Christiaan]], [[Cristian (disambiguation)|Cristian]], [[Cristiano]], [[Chris]], [[John]]
| wikt = {{wiktionary|Christian|christiano}}
| wikt = {{wiktionary|Christian|christiano}}
}}
}}
'''''Christian''''' originated as a [[Christian name|Baptismal name]] used by persons of the [[Christianity|Christian]] religion. It is now a [[given name]] born by males, and by females as '''''Christiana''''' and other feminized variants. An historically commonly used abbreviation, used for example on English 17th century church monuments and pedigrees,<ref>For example, Xpian Rolle, a daughter of [[George Rolle]] (d.1552), as written in the [[Heraldic visitation]] of Devon, 1620 ([[John Lambrick Vivian|Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L.]], (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the [[Heraldic visitation|Heralds' Visitations]] of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.652)</ref> is ''Xpian'', using the Greek [[Chi Rho]] [[Christogram]] ''Χρ'', short for ''Χριστός'', [[Christ]]. The Greek form of the baptismal name is ''Χριστιανός'', a Christian. The name denotes a follower of [[Christ]], thus a [[Christians|Christian]]. It has been used as a given name since the [[Middle Ages]], at first as a name for females,<ref name="Hanks-55">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |page=55 }}</ref> without any feminising word endings.
'''''Christian''''' originated as a [[Christian name|Baptismal name]] used by persons of the [[Christianity|Christian]] religion. It is now a [[given name]] born by males, and by females as '''''Christiana''''' and other feminized variants. An historically commonly used abbreviation, used for example on English 17th century church monuments and pedigrees,<ref>For example, Xpian Rolle, a daughter of [[George Rolle]] (d.1552), as written in the [[Heraldic visitation]] of Devon, 1620 ([[John Lambrick Vivian|Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L.]], (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the [[Heraldic visitation|Heralds' Visitations]] of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.652)</ref> is ''Xpian'', using the Greek [[Chi Rho]] [[Christogram]] ''Χρ'', short for ''Χριστός'', [[Christ]]. The Greek form of the baptismal name is ''Χριστιανός'', a Christian. It can also be derived from the Greek ''Χριστός'', Christ, and Ioannes, Greek form of [[John]]. The name denotes a follower of [[Christ]], thus a [[Christians|Christian]]. It has been used as a given name since the [[Middle Ages]], at first as a name for females,<ref name="Hanks-55">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |page=55 }}</ref> without any feminising word endings.


Today the name is popular in the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Ireland]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[South Africa]], [[France]], [[Italy]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]], [[Switzerland]], [[Germany]], [[Austria]], [[Hungary]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Denmark]], [[Iceland]], and [[Estonia]]. Today in Europe — though not the United States{{clarify|date=May 2017}} — 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]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
Today the name is popular in the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Ireland]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[South Africa]], [[France]], [[Italy]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]], [[Switzerland]], [[Germany]], [[Austria]], [[Hungary]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Denmark]], [[Iceland]], and [[Estonia]]. Today in Europe — though not the United States{{clarify|date=May 2017}} — 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]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

Revision as of 21:06, 17 October 2019

For other uses, see Christians and Christian (surname).
Christian
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈkrɪstʃən, -tiən/
Template:IPA-fr
Template:IPA-de
Template:IPA-da
Template:IPA-nl
Template:IPA-sv
GenderUnisex (Mostly Male)
Origin
Language(s)Egyptian, via Greek and Latin, used to translate Hebrew
Word/nameChristianus
Meaning"follower of Christ"
Other names
See alsoChristian (surname), Christiaan, Cristian, Cristiano, Chris, John

Christian originated as a Baptismal name used by persons of the Christian religion. It is now a given name born by males, and by females as Christiana and other feminized variants. An historically commonly used abbreviation, used for example on English 17th century church monuments and pedigrees,[1] is Xpian, using the Greek Chi Rho Christogram Χρ, short for Χριστός, Christ. The Greek form of the baptismal name is Χριστιανός, a Christian. It can also be derived from the Greek Χριστός, Christ, and Ioannes, Greek form of John. The name denotes a follower of Christ, thus a Christian. It has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, at first as a name for females,[2] without any feminising word endings.

Today the name is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Estonia. Today in Europe — though not the United States[clarification needed] — 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.[citation needed]

Female variants of the name include Christine, Cristina, Christiane, Cristiane, Kristen, Kristin, and Kirsten. Holders of the name Cristana may go by the nicknames or shortened forms Cris, Crissy, "Tina", or Xian.

In other languages

Characters

Males with the given name Christian

Females with the given name Christian

References

  1. ^ For example, Xpian Rolle, a daughter of George Rolle (d.1552), as written in the Heraldic visitation of Devon, 1620 (Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.652)
  2. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 55, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
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