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Christian (given name)

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Christian
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈkrɪstʃən, -tiən/
French: [kʁistjɑ̃]
German: [ˈkʁɪsti̯a(ː)n]
Danish: [ˈkʰʁestjæn]
Dutch: [ˈkrɪstɕɑn]
Swedish: [ˈkrɪ̌sːtɪjan]
GenderUnisex (mostly and originally male)
Origin
Language(s)Greek
Word/nameΧριστιανός
Meaning"follower of Christ"
Other names
Related namesChristiaan, Cristian, Cristiano, Chris, Kit
See alsoChristian (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,[1] without any feminising word endings.

A historically commonly used abbreviation (used for example on English 17th-century church monuments and pedigrees)[2] 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.[citation needed] Female variants of the name include Christine, Christina, Christiane, Cristiane, Kristen, Cristina, Kristin, and Kirsten.

In other languages

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Characters

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Males with the given name Christian

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Females with the given name Christian

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ "St. Christian of Cologne". catholicreadings.org. Kenyan Life. 16 April 2019.
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