2000
#2,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,295
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.93
Uncommon Last name
Christy
A surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning a follower of Christ.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,526 Americans carry the last name Christy. That puts it at #2,771 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Christy 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 Christy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,596
Census rank
#2,771
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,667 bearers of the surname Christy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2771st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Christy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One notable historical reference to the surname Christy is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Cristinus is mentioned in the county of Somerset.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Christy
Among Census respondents with the surname Christy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Christy 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 Christy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 10,768
- Black or African American4.8% · 614
- Two or more races4.0% · 505
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 452
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 194
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 134
Timeline
Historical Census data for Christy
Christy 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
#2,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,750
+455 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Down 137 places
2020
#2,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,667
-1,083 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 4.24
Rank movement Down 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,484 | 13,295 | 4.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,621 | 13,750 | 4.66 | +455 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 137 places |
| 2020 | #2,771 | 12,667 | 4.24 | -1,083 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 150 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 Christy 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 | #2,621 | #2,771 | -5.7% |
| Count | 13,750 | 12,667 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.66 | 4.24 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Christy bearers went from 13,750 to 12,667 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,621 to #2,771.
FAQ
Christy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Christy?
Name Census estimates that about 14,526 living Americans carry the surname Christy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,596 residents.
How common is Christy?
Christy ranks #2,771 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,667 people with the surname Christy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,526), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Christy.
Has Christy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Christy went from 13,750 recorded bearers to 12,667. That is a decrease of 1,083 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,621 to #2,771.
What does the Census say about the background of Christy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Christy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Christy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (10,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Christy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Christy (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 Christy mean?
A surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning a follower of Christ. 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 Christy (4.24 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 many people have the surname Christy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.