Christman
A surname most likely meaning “son of Christian/Christ,” with strong German and Jewish naming connections in English-language records.
The #2,988 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,757 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally understood as a patronymic from a personal name like Christian or Christmann, meaning “Christ’s man” or “man named Christian.” Bardsley specifically treats it as equivalent to Christian and notes that it is a German importation rather than an old English forename. In German and Jewish family-name use, it could also reflect a reduced form of a devotional or personal name built on Christ- rather than a literal reference to the religious title alone.
History
The name appears in English-language records mainly as an immigrant surname, especially in the United States. Nineteenth-century surname writers note spellings such as Christman, Christmann, and Chrisman, showing the usual instability of names transferred from German or related traditions. It remains best known in North America, where the shorter Christman spelling became established.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley remarks that Christman was probably not used as a baptismal forename in England, which is why he treated the surname as an imported one rather than a native English formation.
From the historical record
“' EinSod.^i ; New York, 11. Christman, Christmann, Chrism on. —Bapt. ' the son ol Christman,' seemingly equivalent to Christian, once a popular per- sonal name. I do not think Cbrisl-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances