2000
#5,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,774
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Christopherson
A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Christopher, meaning "son of Christopher" or "descendant of Christopher."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,821 Americans carry the last name Christopherson. That puts it at #5,630 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Christopherson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Christopherson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,250
Census rank
#5,630
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,948 bearers of the surname Christopherson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5630th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Christopherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Christopherson
Among Census respondents with the surname Christopherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Christopherson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Christopherson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 5,454
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 246
- Two or more races2.4% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 49
- Black or African American0.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Christopherson
Christopherson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,115
+341 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 141 places
2020
#5,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,948
-167 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Up 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,532 | 5,774 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,673 | 6,115 | 2.07 | +341 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 141 places |
| 2020 | #5,630 | 5,948 | 1.99 | -167 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 43 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Christopherson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,673 | #5,630 | 0.8% |
| Count | 6,115 | 5,948 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.07 | 1.99 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Christopherson bearers went from 6,115 to 5,948 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,673 to #5,630.
FAQ
Christopherson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Christopherson?
Name Census estimates that about 6,821 living Americans carry the surname Christopherson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,250 residents.
How common is Christopherson?
Christopherson ranks #5,630 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,948 people with the surname Christopherson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,821), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Christopherson.
Has Christopherson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Christopherson went from 6,115 recorded bearers to 5,948. That is a decrease of 167 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,673 to #5,630.
What does the Census say about the background of Christopherson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Christopherson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Christopherson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (5,454 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Christopherson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Christopherson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Christopherson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Christopher, meaning "son of Christopher" or "descendant of Christopher." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Christopherson (1.99 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Christopherson?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Christopherson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.