Christian (given name)
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{{Infobox given name
| name = Christian
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| pronunciation = {{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|k|r|ɪ|s|tʃ|ən|,_|-|t|i|ə|n}}
{{IPA|fr|kʁistjɑ̃|lang}}
{{IPA|de|ˈkʁɪsti̯a(ː)n|lang}}
{{IPA|nl|ˈkrɪstɕɑn|lang}}
{{IPA|da|ˈkʰʁestjæn, ˈkʰʁæstjæn|lang}}
{{IPA|no|ˈkrɪ̀stɪjɑn|lang}}
{{IPA|sv|ˈkrɪ̌sːtɪjan|lang}}
| gender = Unisex (mostly and originally male)
| nameday =
| language =
| languageorigin = Greek
| origin = Χριστιανός
| meaning = "follower of Christ; beloved of God"
| related names = Christiaan, Cristian, Cristiano, Chris, Kit
| seealso = 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,{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |title=A Dictionary of First Names |page=55 |year=2006 |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |edition=2nd |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |last2=Hardcastle |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks}} without any feminising word endings.
A historically commonly used abbreviation (used for example on English 17th-century church monuments and pedigrees)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) is Xpian, using the Greek Chi Rho Christogram {{lang|grc|Χρ}}, short for {{lang|grc|Χριστός}}, Christ. The Greek form of the baptismal name is {{lang|grc|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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Female variants of the name include Christine, Christina, Christiane, Cristiane, Kristen, Cristina, Kristin, and Kirsten.
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In other languages
- Christiaan, Tiaan (Afrikaans, Dutch)
- Kristian, Kristi, Kristo (Albanian)
- كريستيان (Arabic)
- Քրիստոնեայ (Armenian)
- Крысціян, Kryscijan, Krystsiyan (Belarusian)
- খ্রীষ্টান (Khrishtan) (Bengali)
- Kristian (Breton, Croatian, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Norwegian or Swedish)
- Християн, Христиан, Кристиян or Кристиан (Bulgarian)
- 克里斯蒂安 (Kèlǐsīdìān) (Chinese Simplified)
- {{lang|zh-Hant|克里斯蒂安}} (Kèlǐsīdìān) (Chinese Traditional)
- Kristijan (Croatian)
- Kristián (Czech, Slovak)
- Christian (Danish, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish)
- Karsten (Dutch, Low German)
- Kristjan (Estonian, Faroese, Slovenian)
- Chrétien (French)
- Crisdean (Gaelic)
- Χριστιανός, Christianós (Greek)
- נוצרי (Hebrew)
- ईसाई (Īsā'ī) (Hindi)
- Krisztián, Keresztény, for the Danish kings Keresztély (Hungarian)
- Kristján (Icelandic)
- Christian, Kristen, Cristina, Kristin (Indonesian)
- Cristiano (Italian and Portuguese)
- Christianus (Latin)
- Kristiāns, Krišjānis, Krišs (Latvian)
- Kristijonas (Lithuanian)
- クリスチャン (Kurisuchan) (Japanese)
- ಕ್ರಿಶ್ಚಿಯನ್ (Kriściyan) (Kannada)
- 크리스천 (Keuliseucheon) (Korean)
- Кристијан, Kristijan or Христијан, Hristijan (Macedonian)
- Kristian (Malaysian)
- Creestee (Manx)
- Karaitiana (Maori)
- ख्रीष्टियन (Khrīṣṭiyana) (Nepali)
- مسیحی (Persian)
- Krystian (Polish)
- ਮਸੀਹੀ (Masīhī) (Punjabi)
- Кристиан (Russian)
- Христиан (Serbian)
- ක්රිස්තියානි (Kristiyani) (Sinhala)
- Cristian or Cristián (Spanish, Romanian; Romance languages)
- ক্রিস্টান (Krishtan) (Sylheti)
- கிரிஸ்துவர் (Kiristuvar) (Tamil)
- క్రిస్టియన్(Krisṭiyan) (Telugu)
- คริสเตียน (Khris̄teīyn) (Thai)
- Християн (Ukrainian)
- عیسائی (Urdu)
- קריסטלעך (Kristlekh) (Yiddish)
Characters
- Christian, a character in Diana Wynne Jones' fantasy novel Black Maria
- Christian, a character in the movie Moulin Rouge!
- Christian, protagonist of The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
- Baron Christian de Neuvillette, a character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
- Christian Clarke, a character in the British soap opera EastEnders
- Christian Frost, Emma Frost's gay brother in Marvel Comics
- Christian Grey, a character from E. L. James novel 50 Shades of Grey
- Christian Jorgenson, a character in the novel The Thin Man
- Christian Shephard, a character on the ABC series Lost
- Christian Stovitz, a character in the 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy movie Clueless
- Christian Cruz/Christian Torralba, a character in the Philippine drama series Mara Clara (1992 TV series) and Mara Clara (2010 TV series)
- Christian Troy, a character on the FX original series Nip/Tuck
Males with the given name Christian
- Saint Christian of Cologne, died AD 1002, abbot of St-Pantaleon in Cologne (Germany){{cite web |title=St. Christian of Cologne |url=https://catholicreadings.org/saint-christian-of-cologne-saint-of-the-day-march-21/ |website=catholicreadings.org |date=16 April 2019 |publisher=Kenyan Life}}
- Saint Christian of Clogher, died AD 1138, bishop of Clogher (Ireland) and brother of St. Malachy
- Several kings of Denmark
- Several princes
- Christian of Oliva, 13th-century Cistercian monk, first bishop of Prussia
- Christiaan Huygens, Dutch astronomer, physicist, mathematician and inventor
- Christian IX of Denmark (1818–1906), King of Denmark (1863–1906)
- Christian X of Denmark (1870–1947), King of Denmark (1912–1947) and Iceland (1918–1944)
- Christian Abbiati (born 1977), Italian footballer
- Christian Albright (born 1999), American football player
- Christian Alexander (born 1990), American actor
- Christian Alshon (born 2000), a professional American pickleball player
- Christian Andersen (footballer) (born 1944), Danish former football player and now manager
- Christian Annan (born 1978), former Ghanaian-born Hong Kong professional footballer
- Christian Augustus, Count Palatine of Sulzbach (1622–1708), German ruler
- Christian Atsu (1992–c. 2023), Ghanaian professional footballer
- Christian Bables (born 1992), Filipino actor
- Christian Baciotti, French musician
- Christian Bakkerud (1984–2011), Danish racing driver
- Christian Bale (born 1974), English actor
- Christian Bannis (born 1992), Danish footballer
- Christian Barmore (born 1999), American football player
- Christian Bauman (born 1970), American writer
- Christian Bautista (born 1981), Filipino singer
- Christian Benford (born 2000), American football player
- Christian Benteke (born 1990), Belgian footballer
- Christian Bergman (born 1988), American baseball player
- Christian Bethancourt (born 1991), Panamanian baseball player
- Christian Biet (1952–2020), French theatrical scholar
- Christian Bizot (1928–2002), French winemaker, head of the Bollinger Champagne house
- Christian Borle (born 1973), American actor
- Christian Bonaud (1957–2019), French Islamologist
- Christian Boros (born 1964), German advertising agency founder and art collector
- Christian Brando (1958–2008), American actor
- Christian Braun (born 2001), American basketball player
- Christian Braswell (born 1999), American football player
- Christian Bryant (born 1992), American football player
- Christian Cage (born 1973), a ring name of Canadian wrestler Jay Reso (born 1973)
- Christian Clemens (born 1991), German footballer
- Christian Cooke (born 1987), English actor
- Christian Corrêa Dionisio (born 1975), Brazilian football player
- Christian Daniel (born 1984), Puerto Rican singer-songwriter
- Christian Danner (born 1958), German racing driver
- Christian Darrisaw (born 1999), American football player
- Christian de Duve (1917–2013), Nobel Prize-winning Belgian cytologist and biochemist
- Christan Decker (born 1966), German economist and university professor
- Christian DiLauro (born 1994), American football player
- Christian Dior (1905–1957), French fashion designer
- Christian Doppler (1803–1853), Austrian mathematician and physicist
- Christian Drejer (born 1982), former Danish basketball player
- Arthur Drews (1865-1935, full name Christian Heinrich Arthur Drews), German writer, historian, philosopher, and Christ myth theory proponent
- Christian Drobits (born 1968), Austrian politician
- Christian Ehrhoff (born 1982), German ice hockey player
- Christian Elliss (born 1999), American football player
- Christian Eriksen (born 1992), Danish professional footballer
- Christian Esguerra, Filipino political journalist and educator
- Christian Fernández Salas (born 1985), Spanish football player
- Christian Fittipaldi (born 1971), Brazilian racing driver
- Christian Fox (born 1981), Scottish footballer
- Christian Friedrich (baseball) (born 1987), American baseball player
- Christian Fuchs (born 1986), Austrian footballer
- Christian García (disambiguation)
- Christian Gerhartsreiter (born 1961), German convicted murderer and impostor
- Christian Glass (died 2022), American man who was shot dead
- Christian Greber (born 1972), Swiss alpine skier
- Christian Greef, Motswana politician
- Christian Gonzalez (born 2002), American football player
- Christian Hackenberg (born 1995), American football player
- Christian Hadinata (born 1949), Indonesian former badminton player
- Christian Hall (2001–2020), Asian-American man killed by police
- Christian Hamburger (1904–1992), Danish endocrinologist
- Christian Harris (born 2001), American football player
- Christian Haynes (born 2000), American football player
- Christian Heidel (born 1963), German football executive
- Christian Hildebrandt (born 1967), Danish composer
- Christian Ho (born 2006), racing driver
- Christian Holder (1949–2025), British-Trinidadian dancer and artist
- Christian Holmes (born 1997), American football player
- Christian R. Holmes II (1896–1944), decorated American soldier and zoo owner
- Christian Hosoi (born 1967), skateboarder
- Christian Inyam (born 1991), Nigerian football player
- Christian Izien (born 2000), American football player
- Christian Jessen (born 1977), English doctor and television presenter
- Christian Jimenez (born 1986), American soccer player
- Christian Johnson (born 1986), American football player
- Christian Jones (disambiguation), multiple people
- Christian Joseph (born 2016), American social media personality known online as "the Rizzler"
- Christian Julius de Meza (1792–1865), Danish army commander
- Christian Kälin (born 1971), Swiss lawyer and businessman
- Christian Kern (born 1966), Austrian businessman and politician
- Christian Keysers, French and German neuroscientist
- Christian Kirk (born 1996), American football player
- Christian Klien (born 1983), Austrian racing driver
- Christian Koloko (born 2000), Cameroonian basketball player
- Christian Koss (born 1998), American baseball player
- Christian Kum (born 1985), Dutch footballer
- Christian Lacroix (born 1951), French fashion designer
- Christian Laettner (born 1969), American basketball player
- Christian Latouche (born 1939/1940), French billionaire businessman
- Christian Li (born 2007), Australian violinist
- Christian Lindner (born 1979), German politician
- Christian Lindner (born 1959), German journalist
- Christian Longo (born 1974), American convicted murderer
- Christian Louboutin (born 1964), French footwear designer
- Christian Lundgaard (born 2001), racing driver
- Christian Mahogany (born 2000), American football player
- Christian Maldini (born 1996), Italian footballer
- Christian Mansell (born 2005), racing driver
- Christian Matthew (born 1996), American football player
- Christian McCaffrey (born 1996), American football player
- Christian Miller (American football) (born 1996), American football player
- Christian Montes De Oca (born 1999), Dominican baseball player
- Christian Muck, Austrian chess player
- Christian Navarro (born 1991), American actor
- Christian Charles Nielsen (born 1975), American spree killer
- Christian Okoye (born 1961), American football player
- Christian Oliver (1972–2024), German actor
- Christian Pampel (born 1979), German volleyball player
- Christian Panucci (born 1973), Italian footballer
- Christian Penigaud (born 1964), French beach volleyball player
- Christian Ponder (born 1988), American football player
- Christian Potenza (born 1972), Canadian actor
- Christian Pulisic (born 1998), American soccer player
- Christian Quéré (1955–2006), French football player
- Christian Redl (born 1948), German actor and musician
- Christian Reiher (born 1984), German mathematician
- Christian Reinthaler (born 1974), German ski jumper
- Christian Riganò (born 1974), Italian footballer
- Christian Roland-Wallace (born 2001), American football player
- Christian Rosenkreuz, legendary, possibly allegorical, founder of the Rosicrucian Order
- Christian Rosenmeier (1874–1932), American politician
- Christian Rozeboom (born 1997), American football player
- Christian Rub (1886–1956), Austrian-born American character actor
- Christian Sam (born 1996), American football player
- Christian Scotland-Williamson (born 1993), American football player
- Christian Scott (baseball) (born 1999), American baseball player
- Christian Siriano (born 1985), American fashion designer
- Christian Sitepu (born 1986), Indonesian basketball player
- Christian Slater (born 1969), American actor
- Christian Tămaș (born 1964), Romanian writer and translator
- Christian Taylor (born 1990), American athlete
- Christian Terlizzi (born 1979), Italian footballer
- Christian Tessier (born 1978), Canadian actor
- Christian Uphoff (born 1998), American football player
- Christian Vasquez (born 1977), Filipino actor
- Christian Vieri (born 1973), Italian footballer
- Christian Villanueva (born 1991), Mexican professional baseball player
- Christian Vital (born 1997), American professional basketball player
- Christian von Koenigsegg (born 1972), Founder and CEO of Koenigsegg Automotive
- Christian Wade (born 1991), British American football and rugby player
- Christian Walker (born 1991), American baseball player
- Christian Watson (born 1999), American football player
- Christian Wilkins (born 1995), American football player
- Christian Wirth (1885–1944), German Nazi SS concentration camp commander
- Christian Wolff (philosopher) (1679–1754), German philosopher
- Christian Wulff (born 1959), German politician
- Christian Yelich (born 1991), American baseball player
- Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), Danish author
Females with the given name Christian
- Christian Beranek (born 1974), United States writer, actress, musician and film/TV producer
- Christian Maclagan (1811–1901), Scottish antiquarian
- Christian Pitre (born 1983), American actress
- Christian Ramsay (1786–1839), British botanist
- Christian Serratos (born 1990), American actress
See also
References
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{{Christopher-name}}
{{given name}}
Category:Norwegian masculine given names
Category:French masculine given names
Category:Swedish masculine given names
Category:English masculine given names
Category:Masculine given names
Category:German masculine given names
Category:Danish masculine given names
Category:Irish masculine given names