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

Christy, 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 Christy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christy in America

Christy is the 2621st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christy surname appeared 13,750 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Christy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christy 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 Christy

The surname Christy originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the medieval given name Cristy, which was a diminutive form of the name Christopher. The name Christopher itself is derived from the Greek words "Christos" meaning Christ, and "phero" meaning bearer or carrier.

The earliest recorded mention of the surname Christy can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset in 1176, where a person named Cristi de Torp is listed. This indicates that the name was present in the region of Dorset during that time period. Over the centuries, various spellings of the surname emerged, including Cristy, Crysty, and Criste.

One notable historical reference to the surname Christy is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Cristinus is mentioned in the county of Somerset. This record suggests that the name had already been established in England prior to the Norman Conquest.

Among the earliest known individuals with the surname Christy was John Christy, born around 1365 in Wiltshire, England. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of Parliament for the borough of Chippenham in 1397.

Another notable figure was Richard Christy, born in 1540 in Oxfordshire. He was a renowned scholar and author, best known for his work "The Faerie Queene," which was published in 1590.

In the 17th century, William Christy (1623-1681) was a prominent merchant and ship owner based in Bristol. He played a significant role in the city's maritime trade and was involved in the establishment of several trading companies.

During the 18th century, a family by the name of Christy settled in the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in the American colonies. One of their descendants, David Christy (1767-1842), became a successful businessman and was involved in the early cotton industry in the United States.

In the 19th century, Henry Christy (1810-1865) was a prominent archaeologist and collector of antiquities. He was a member of the Society of Antiquaries and donated a significant portion of his collection to the British Museum.

Throughout history, the surname Christy has been associated with various place names, such as Christy Farm in Gloucestershire and Christy's Plantation in South Carolina, reflecting the geographical spread of families bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christy

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

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

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

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