Christmas (surname)
Christmas is a fairly uncommon surname, which is sometimes said to have been a byname given to a person born at Christmas.[1] However, others dispute this interpretation.[2]
A few hundred years ago, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. When literacy was still uncommon, spelling variations are often found. Words were transcribed using their pronunciation when names are listed in public records.[3]
The byname was spelled "Cristemass" in 1185 and 1191, and "Cristesmesse" in 1308.[4] The name is principally found in Essex and Sussex counties in England, where some records[which?] suggest that they held a family seat[clarification needed] from ancient times.
At least 50 women called Mary have married a man with the surname of Christmas over the past 170 years[clarification needed] to become Mary Christmas. In December 2012, living Mrs. Mary Christmas from Hull, England was featured online as a woman with a year-round Yuletide spirit.[5] She is the wife of a man named Leeroy Christmas.
The earliest known record on Mary Christmas was discovered in 1837 when Mary Cannon married a Mr. Christmas in Alton, Hampshire and "set herself up for years of festive ribbing."[6]
Notable persons with the surname Christmas
- Art Christmas (1905–1961), Canadian jazz saxophonist
- Cecil Christmas (1886–1916), English footballer
- Dani Christmas (born 1987), British racing cyclist and former runner
- David Christmas (born 1969), English cricketer
- Demarcus Christmas (born 1995), American football player
- Dionte Christmas (born 1986), American professional basketball player
- Edward A. Christmas (1903–1969), American horse trainer
- Eric Christmas (1916–2000), British actor
- Ernst William Christmas (1863–1918), Australian painter
- George R. Christmas (born 1940), American Marine Corps general
- Henry Christmas (1811–1868), English Anglican priest
- Jarred Christmas, New Zealand comedian
- John Christmas (born 1969), American former banker and writer
- Johnny Christmas (born 1982), lacrosse player for Philadelphia Wings
- Julie Christmas (born 1975), American heavy metal singer
- Karima Christmas (born 1989), American female professional basketball player
- Keith Christmas (born 1946), English singer songwriter
- Lee Christmas (1863–1924), American mercenary
- Mary Christmas, American magazine editor
- Rakeem Christmas (born 1991), American college basketball player
- Randy Christmas (1920–1960), Mayor of Miami, Florida
- Ruth Christmas (1904–2001), English middle-distance runner
- Stephen Christmas (1947–1993), for whom the blood clotting protein Factor IX was named
- Steve Christmas (born 1957), American Major League Baseball player
- William Christmas (Kilmallock MP) (1734–1803), Irish politician, MP for Kilmallock 1776–1783
- William Christmas (Waterford MP) (1798–1867), Irish politician, Conservative Party MP for Waterford City
- William Whitney Christmas (1895–1960), American aviation pioneer and designer of the Christmas Bullet aircraft
Fictional characters with the name Christmas
- Joe Christmas, a character in William Faulkner's novel Light in August
- Lee Christmas, a member of The Expendables in the movie franchise of the same name; played by Jason Statham
- Lloyd Christmas, character in the movies Dumb and Dumber, Dumb and Dumberer, and Dumber and Dumber To; played by Jim Carrey
- Miss Merry Christmas, member of Baroque Works from the manga series One Piece
- Rev. Tom Christmas, protagonist of C. C. Benison's Father Christmas Mystery series of books
- Dr. Christmas Jones, a character in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough; played by Denise Richards
See also
References
- ^ Christmas Surname at Forebears.co. Uk Accessed February 19, 2013
- ^ "DNA search for 'father' Christmas". BBC News. 2005-11-23. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
- ^ Christmas surname history at the House of Names.com Accessed February 20, 2013
- ^ Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Christmas.
- ^ Meet Mary Christmas, the Woman with Year-Round Yuletide Spirit Accessed February 19, 2013
- ^ A merry time with festive surnames Accessed February 21, 2013
External links
- Christmas Families Home Page Retrieved April 2, 2013
- Christmas Family History at AncientFaces.com Retrieved April 2, 2013
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.