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

Christopherson, 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 Christopherson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christopherson in America

Christopherson is the 5673rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christopherson surname appeared 6,115 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 Christopherson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christopherson 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 Christopherson

The surname Christopherson originated in England and Scotland during the late medieval period, typically between the 12th and 16th centuries. It is a patronymic surname derived from the given name Christopher, which means "bearer of Christ" in Greek. The name was likely adopted by the children or descendants of men named Christopher.

The earliest known record of the surname Christopherson dates back to the late 13th century. One notable example is John Christopherson, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273. The name also appeared in various spellings, such as Cristoferson and Christoferesone, in medieval records from different regions of England and Scotland.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Christopherson was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, including Yorkshire and Northumberland. It was also found in Scottish regions like the Borders and Lothian. Some notable bearers of the name from this period include John Christopherson (c. 1500-1558), an English bishop and theologian who served as Bishop of Chichester, and Robert Christopherson (fl. 1584), a Scottish poet and writer.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Christopherson appeared in various forms in parish registers and other records across England and Scotland. One notable figure was John Christopherson (1666-1737), an English clergyman and academic who served as Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.

As the surname spread throughout the British Isles, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and colonization. For example, William Christopherson (c. 1790-1860) was a British explorer and surveyor who worked in South Africa and Australia in the early 19th century.

Another notable bearer of the name was William Christopherson (1851-1943), an American businessman and politician who served as the 16th Governor of Idaho from 1919 to 1923. Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the surname Christopherson has left its mark on history across various fields and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christopherson

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

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

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

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