National Christian Day – March 12, 2025

History of National Christian Day

Christian originated as a baptismal name used by people of the Christian religion. Now it’s a name that is predominantly for men, but also women, Christiana. The historically common abbreviation used, for example, in 17th century English church monuments and genealogies, is Xpian, Χρ, short for Χριστός, Christ. Meanwhile, the Greek form of the name at baptism is Χριστιανός, Christian. It may also be derived from the Greek Χριστός, Christ.

Since the name Christian is of Greek origin, it means “follower of Christ” or ‘anointed.’ It also comes from the medieval Latin name ‘Christianus,’ which means ‘Christian.’ During the Middle Ages, Christian was used mainly for women and did not gain popularity until the 17th century. It became a famous female name in Scotland from the 17th to 18th centuries.

Christian is quite a popular name in the U.S. that has become even more popular in the last 35 years. In 1986, it entered the top 100 names for boys in the U.S., ranking 89th. It continued to grow, reaching its peak at 21st in 2006. Recent statistics show that Christian is ranked 62nd among the names for boys in America. Nowadays, it is common in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, as well as in European countries such as Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Norway.

Among the famous people named Christian include the French musician Christian Baciotti, the English actor Christian Cooke, the American football player Christian DiLauro, and the French fashion designer Christian Dior.