Find out how popular the last name Christman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Christman.

Christman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Christman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christman in America

Christman is the 2988th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christman surname appeared 11,987 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Christman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Christman

The surname Christman has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. Derived from the German words "Christ" and "mann," which translate to "Christ" and "man," respectively, the name likely referred to a devout follower of Christianity or someone who was deeply religious.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Christman surname can be found in the 15th century Wunderlich Codex, a manuscript containing various legal documents from the region of Franconia in modern-day Germany. The codex mentions a certain Hans Christman, who was a landowner and farmer in the village of Rödental.

In the 16th century, the Christman name appeared in several church records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, indicating a presence of the family in that area. One notable individual from this period was Johann Christman, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from 1505 to 1567.

As the Christman family spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling began to appear, such as Christmann, Christtmann, and Kristmann. These different spellings were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices.

In the 18th century, a branch of the Christman family migrated to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest recorded Christmans in America was Johannes Christman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 from the Palatinate region of Germany.

Another notable figure with the Christman surname was Friedrich Christmann, a German theologian and Orientalist who lived from 1618 to 1679. He was instrumental in introducing the study of Arabic and Persian languages to German universities.

In the 19th century, the Christman name gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals making significant contributions. James Christman, born in 1808 in Pennsylvania, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist who founded the Christman Knitting Machine Company.

Furthermore, John Christman, born in 1842 in Ohio, was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and later became a successful farmer and community leader in his home state.

While the Christman surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark across different fields and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Christman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Christman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Christman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Christman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Christman, please contact us.

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