Christian (given name)
| Pronunciation | English: /ˈkrɪstʃən, -tiən/ French: [kʁistjɑ̃] German: [ˈkʁɪsti̯a(ː)n] Dutch: [ˈkrɪstɕɑn] Danish: [ˈkʰʁestjæn, ˈkʰʁæstjæn] Norwegian: [ˈkrɪ̀stɪjɑn] Swedish: [ˈkrɪ̌sːtɪjan] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unisex (mostly and originally male) |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Greek |
| Word/name | Χριστιανός |
| Meaning | "follower of Christ; beloved of God" |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Christiaan, Cristian, Cristiano, Chris, Kit |
| See also | Christian (surname), Christopher |
Christian is a unisex given name, which originated as a baptismal name used by persons of the Christian religion. It has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, originally for males. It was later used for females, without any feminising word endings.
A historically commonly used abbreviation (used for example on English 17th-century church monuments and pedigrees) 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 Jesus Christ, thus a Christian.
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. Female variants of the name include Christine, Christina, Christiane, Cristiane, Kristen, Cristina, Kristin, and Kirsten.