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Christian (given name)

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Christian
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈkrɪstʃən, -tiən/
French: [kʁistjɑ̃]
German: [ˈkʁɪsti̯a(ː)n]
Danish: [ˈkʰʁestjæn]
Dutch: [ˈkrɪscɑn]
Swedish: [ˈkrɪ̌sːtɪjan]
GenderUnisex (mostly and originally male)
Origin
Language(s)Egyptian, via Greek and Latin, used to translate Hebrew
Word/nameChristianus
Meaning"follower of Christ"
Other names
Related namesChristiaan, Cristian, Cristiano, Chris, Ian, John, Kit
See alsoChristian (surname), Christopher

Christian originated as a baptismal name used by persons of the Christian religion. It is now a given name 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)[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.[dubious – discuss] The name denotes a follower of Jesus Christ, thus a Christian. It has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, originally a male given name. It was later used 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, 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.[citation needed]

Female variants of the name include Christine, Christina, Christiane, Cristiane, Kristen, Cristina, Kristin, and Kirsten. Holders of the name Christina may go by the nicknames or shortened forms Chris, Chrissy, 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
  3. ^ "St. Christian of Cologne". catholicreadings.org. Kenyan Life.
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