Christophe last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Christophe

A French surname meaning "bearer of Christ" or "follower of Christ".

Christophe, 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 Christophe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christophe in America

Christophe is the 27898th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christophe surname appeared 860 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 Christophe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christophe 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 27898 32782 -16.10%
Count 860 660 26.32%
Proportion per 100k 0.29 0.24 18.87%

The history of the last name Christophe

The surname Christophe originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the French form of the given name Christopher, which comes from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (Christophoros). This Greek name is composed of the elements Χριστός (Christos) meaning "Christ" and φορος (phoros) meaning "bearer" or "carrier."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Christophe can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, such as Normandy, Brittany, and Picardy. The name was initially borne by individuals who were either christened with the given name Christopher or were known as followers or devotees of Christ.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the surname was Jean Christophe, a French knight who fought in the Crusades during the late 12th century. He is mentioned in several chronicles and records from that era, including the "Histoire des Croisades" by Guillaume de Tyr.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the "Livre de la Taille" of Paris, a tax record that listed the names of citizens. Among those listed were several individuals with the surname Christophe, indicating the name's presence in the French capital at that time.

During the Renaissance period, the surname gained further prominence with individuals such as Fabrice Christophe (1520-1589), a French diplomat and scholar who served as an ambassador for King Henry III of France.

Another notable figure was Pierre Christophe (1638-1703), a French Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled to Canada and documented his encounters with Native American tribes in his writings.

In the 18th century, the name was borne by François Christophe (1765-1847), a French general who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the President of Haiti from 1807 to 1820.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname was Henri Christophe (1767-1820), a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the first King of Haiti. He ruled the northern part of the island from 1811 until his death.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Christophe throughout history, illustrating the name's enduring presence in France and its colonies, as well as its connection to important historical events and figures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christophe

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

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 Christophe was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 15.23% 131
Non-Hispanic Black Only 78.26% 673
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.58% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.70% 6
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.86% 16
Hispanic Origin 3.37% 29

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 Christophe has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 15.23% 16.82% -9.92%
Black 78.26% 72.88% 7.12%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.58% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.70% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.86% 7.58% -121.19%
Hispanic 3.37% 1.82% 59.73%

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

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

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"Christophe last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/christophe-surname-popularity/.

"Christophe last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/christophe-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 November, 2024

Christophe last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/christophe-surname-popularity/.

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