Contents [hide]

Christopher History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Christopher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the name Christopher begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from Christopher, an ancient and popular personal name which has been popular for many years as literally, the name means 'Bearer of Christ'.

"I have been told that all who bear the somewhat rare name of Christopherson hail from Furness, in North Lancashire. Anyway it is a native, and owes its origin to the treacherous sands of Morecombe and Duddon. The legend of St. Christopher is that he found an occupation in guiding passengers across a wide stream. One night he bare unawares the child Christ, and was about to sink under an ever-increasing weight, when the Saviour said, 'Thou bearest Him who beareth the sins of the world.' No doubt there would be a shrine to the Saint for belated travellers on Chapel Isle, opposite Conishead Priory. Many a babe would be dedicated to him in gratitude for some hairbreadth escape his father had experienced. " 1

Early Origins of the Christopher family

The surname Christopher was first found in North Lancashire at Furness (now known as Dalton-In-Furness. "The town derived its principal importance from the erection of the magnificent Abbey of Furness, founded in 1127, by Stephen, afterwards king of England, for monks of the Cistercian order, whom he removed from Tulketh, in Amounderness, to this valley, where, obtaining valuable grants, they continued for more than four centuries. " 2

Early History of the Christopher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Christopher research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1225, 1245, 1295, 1558, 1613 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Christopher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Christopher Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Christopher has been recorded under many different variations, including Christopher, Cristopher and others.

Early Notables of the Christopher family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Christopherson (d. 1558), Bishop of Chichester, "a native of Ulverstone in Lancashire, and was educated in the university of Cambridge, first at Pembroke Hall, and then at St. John's College, und...
Michael Christopherson (fl. 1613), was an English Catholic divine who received his education in the English college of Douay. 3

Christopher Ranking

In the United States, the name Christopher is the 1,182^nd most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 4 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Christopher is ranked the 708^th most popular surname with an estimated 61 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Christopher family to Ireland

Some of the Christopher family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Christopher migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Christopher or a variant listed above:

Christopher Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christopher Christopher, who settled in Nantucket in 1630
Christopher Christopher, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 6
John Christopher, who landed in Maryland in 1662 6
Nathaniell Christopher, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1686 6
Nathaniel] Christopher, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1686 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Christopher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nich Christopher, who landed in Virginia in 1704 6
Nicholas Christopher, who arrived in Virginia in 1740 6
Adam Christopher, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 6
Thomas Christopher, aged 27, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1776 6

Christopher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. William Christopher, (b. 1830), aged 21, Cornish miner departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Mountaineer" arriving in the United States on 30 April 1851 7
Frederick Christopher, aged 50, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1870 6
Henry C Christopher, aged 38, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1872 6

Christopher migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Christopher Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Christopher, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Mrs. Rachael Christopher U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 8

Christopher Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Patrick Christopher, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1802

Christopher migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Christopher Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Christopher, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. John Christopher, (b. 1796), aged 26, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1829 10
William Christopher, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Mr. William Christopher, (b. 1807), aged 23, English tailor who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Robert Christopher, (b. 1812), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1842 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Christopher migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Christopher Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Christopher, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Josephine Willis" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1855 14
Mrs. Christopher, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Josephine Willis" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1855 14
Mr. Matthew Christopher, (b. 1834), aged 40, Cornish farm labourer departing on 7th May 1874 aboard the ship "Eastern Monarch" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 22nd July 1874 15
Mr. Christopher, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mallowdale" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th March 1875 14
Mr. Andrew Christopher, (b. 1855), aged 23, Cornish farm labourer departing on 15th October 1878 aboard the ship "Maraval" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th January 1879 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Christopher migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17

Christopher Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William and Katherine Christopher who arrived in Barbados in 1679 with their servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Christopher (post 1700) +

Tyler Christopher (1972-2023), born as Tyler Christopher Baker, an American actor known for his role in General Hospital
Joseph O'Neal Christopher (1935-2023), American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox from 1959-1966. He won the 1960 World Series with the Pirates
Donald Clair Christopher (1934-2022), American farmer, founder of Christopher Ranch, the leading producer of fresh garlic in the United States
Theodore "Ted" Christopher (1958-2017), American racing driver, known for competing in NASCAR's Whelen Modified Tour where he has over 40 victories and a championship in 2008
William H. Christopher, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Putnam County, 1875 18
Wilbur V. Christopher, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1956 18
Warren D. Christopher, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Arkansas 2nd District, 1988 18
Warren Minor Christopher (1925-2011), American Democratic Party politician, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State, 1977-81; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1964; U.S. Secretary of State, 1993-97 18
Tom Christopher, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1952 18
T. S. Christopher, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1928 18
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Christopher family +

Flight TWA 800

Ms. Janet Louise Wolf Christopher (1948-1996), from Stamford Heights, Pennsylvania, USA, American TWA crew member flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 19

Halifax Explosion

Mr. William Christopher (1892-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 20

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Auckland 1872-80 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance