Christian
A surname from the personal name Christian, originally meaning “follower of Christ.”
The #626 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,697 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Christian began as a baptismal or given name from Latin Christianus, meaning “a Christian” or “follower of Christ.” As a surname, it was formed from that personal name, usually to identify someone as the son or descendant of a man named Christian. The name spread into English through Old French and medieval Christian naming practice.
History
The surname appears in English-speaking areas as a straightforward patronymic or metronymic surname from the forename Christian. It is found in England and Scotland, and also in Wales where surnames were often formed from a parent’s Christian name. The form has remained fairly stable, though it can overlap with the common given name Christian.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Christian is one of the surnames that can also still be used as a first name, which sometimes makes family-history records easy to confuse.
From the historical record
“if surnames they can be called, do not present the same variety [as in England], most of them having been formed in a simple manner from the Christian or forename of the father in the genitive case, 'son' being understood. Thus, Evan's son became Evans, John's son Jones, &c. Others were derived from the father's…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)