Christopher is the English 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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

-wide name derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

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), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religi ...

" 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 o ...

", 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 Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

", "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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, 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 ...

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 th ...

, 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 (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 (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 (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 Sp ...

(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 ...

(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 the ...

(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 ...

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

Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British '' Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the seri ...

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 (born 1993), Swedish professional ice hockey player * Chris Broach (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 contempor ...

(born 1989), American singer and songwriter * Christopher Cerf (born 1941), American author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer * Christopher Chung (born 1998), Australian-born Hong Kong professional footballer * Kris Clyburn (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 competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball ...

* Christopher Comstock (born 1992), American electronic music producer and DJ, better known by his stage name

Marshmello Christopher Comstock (born May 19, 1992), known professionally as Marshmello, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. His songs " Silence", " Wolves", " Friends", "Happier", and "Alone" have been certified multi-platinum in severa ...

* Chris Cornell (born 1964) American musician, songwriter, singer, rhythm guitarist and recording artist *

Christopher Cradock Rear Admiral Sir Christopher "Kit" George Francis Maurice Cradock (2 July 1862 – 1 November 1914) was an English senior officer of the Royal Navy. He earned a reputation for great gallantry. Appointed to the royal yacht, he was close to the ...

(1862–1914), English

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

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 ...

(born 1950), American musician * Christopher Dorner (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 (born 1964), English actor * Christopher Evans (born 1981), American actor * Christopher R. Fee, American medievalist *

Christopher Ford Christopher Ford may refer to: *Christopher Ford (screenwriter), American film screenwriter, producer, and actor * Christopher Ashley Ford (born 1967), American la