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

Christoforou, 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 Christoforou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christoforou in America

Christoforou is the 141140th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christoforou surname appeared 118 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Christoforou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christoforou 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 Christoforou

The surname Christoforou originates from Greece and can be traced back to the Byzantine era, around the 11th century AD. It derives from the Greek given name Christoforos, which means "Christ-bearer" and was a popular name among Greek Christians.

The earliest known references to the Christoforou name can be found in official records and manuscripts from the Byzantine Empire, particularly in regions like Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), Thessaloniki, and other parts of the Greek mainland and islands.

One notable mention of the name is in a 12th-century Byzantine chronicle, where a certain Ioannis Christoforou is mentioned as a high-ranking official in the court of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (reigned 1143-1180).

In the centuries that followed, the Christoforou name spread across various regions of the Greek-speaking world, including parts of modern-day Turkey, Cyprus, and the Balkans. Some variations in spelling, such as Christophorou or Christoforidis, emerged due to regional dialects and the influence of other languages like Turkish or Slavic.

During the Ottoman period (15th-19th centuries), several Christoforou families are recorded as prominent merchants and landowners in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, particularly in cities like Smyrna (modern-day Izmir) and Alexandria.

One notable figure was Georgios Christoforou (1808-1878), a Greek merchant and philanthropist from Smyrna, who funded the construction of several schools and churches in his hometown and Athens.

Another distinguished individual was Fotis Christoforou (1866-1940), a Greek scholar and educator who played a significant role in the establishment of modern Greek education in Cyprus during the British rule.

In more recent times, the name Christoforou has been associated with notable figures such as:

1. Panikos Christoforou (1920-2008), a Cypriot politician and diplomat who served as the President of the Republic of Cyprus from 1977 to 1988.
2. Giorgos Christoforou (1942-2005), a Greek actor and singer who had a successful career in both theater and cinema.
3. Eleni Christoforou (born 1974), a Greek long-distance runner who won the bronze medal in the marathon event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
4. Konstantinos Christoforou (born 1980), a Cypriot composer and conductor known for his orchestral and choral works.
5. Stathis Christoforou (born 1988), a Greek professional basketball player who has played for several teams in the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christoforou

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

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

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

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