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

Christmas, 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 Christmas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christmas in America

Christmas is the 6122nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christmas surname appeared 5,599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Christmas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christmas 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 Christmas

The surname Christmas is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "Cristes maesse," which translates to "Christ's mass" or "the mass of Christ," referring to the Christian celebration of Christmas. The name was likely adopted by families who lived near churches or places of worship dedicated to the birth of Christ.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Christmas can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Willelmus Cristemesse residing in the county of Norfolk.

In the 13th century, records show a John de Cristemasse living in the village of Brinton, Somerset. The use of the preposition "de" before the surname suggests that he may have been from a place called Cristemasse or associated with the Christmas celebration in some way.

During the 14th century, the surname Christmas appears in various spellings, such as Crystmasse, Cristemas, and Cristemassi, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Among notable historical figures with the surname Christmas is Sir Thomas Christmas (1539-1617), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Oxfordshire. He served as the Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1593 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1603.

Another prominent individual was George Christmas (1566-1643), a Protestant clergyman who served as the Dean of Windsor from 1617 until his death. He was known for his scholarly works and sermons during the reign of King James I.

In the 18th century, William Christmas (1719-1779) was a renowned English clockmaker and watchmaker based in London. His timepieces were highly prized for their craftsmanship and accuracy, and he is regarded as one of the finest horologists of his era.

The surname Christmas also found its way to the American colonies, with records showing a Thomas Christmas (1650-1718) as one of the earliest settlers in Virginia. He established a plantation in Middlesex County and served as a member of the House of Burgesses, the legislative assembly of the Virginia Colony.

Another notable figure was Brigadier General Fleming Christmas (1787-1865), a United States Army officer who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. He was commended for his bravery and leadership during various military campaigns and battles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christmas

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

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 Christmas 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 Christmas 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 Christmas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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