Christopher

updated Sept 2015

Christopher ~ Christ-bearer, One Who Carries Christ in His Heart ~ Greek

History
Christopher is an old, storied name that Americans have been using for a long time. The word was used by early Christians to describe their beliefs, as the name comes from two Greek words for "bear" and "Christ" and came to meant bearing Christ in one's heart. The 3rd century brought about a legend of a saint who literally carried Christ as a baby. That is how Saint Christopher came to be the patron saint of travelers.

Christopher was the name of a Bavarian king who ruled Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the 1440s. It's safe to assume the name was used as a given name as early as the 15th century.

Popularity
While Christopher has always been used in the US with frequency, it really began to take off in the last half of the 20th century. It was in the top 10 boys' names from 1967-2009! It's what I call a new classic name. It has fallen just a bit in popularity to a rank of 30 for 2014, but I truly believe it won't fall far.

Parents love the sound of the name, which is soft but not too feminine. It comes with a genuine boy-next-door nickname: Chris. Christopher is used around the world, allowing for more globally-inspired variations.

Variations

• Chris
• Christof or Christoph
• Christofer
• Christo
• Christos
• Cris
• Cristobal
• Cristopher
• Kit
• Kris
• Topher

Famous Figures Named Christopher:

• Christopher Columbus, explorer
• Christopher Gorham, actor on Ugly Betty
• Christopher Reeve, actor
• Christopher Plummer, actor
• Christopher Robin, fictional character based on the son of the author of Winnie-the-Pooh
• Christopher Walken, actor
• Topher Grace, actor

Celebrities who named their son Christopher:

• Anne Rice
• Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
• Billy Ray Cyrus
• Burt Bacharach (spelled Cristopher)
• Dean Cain
• Donny Osmond