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ORIGIN & HISTORY

According to the Roman Catholic view, a robust young man known as Reprobus or Offero, depending on varying sources, worked ferrying people across a dangerous river in an effort to serve Jesus. One day he carried a young child across the river, who, though small, was the heaviest passenger that ever crossed on Reprobus' back. When asked about his identity, the young boy explained that he was Jesus Christ and was heavy from the weight of the world's sins. He then baptized Reprobus in the river, giving him a new name-Christopher. Christopher was then instructed to plant his staff in the ground, which turned into a fruit-bearing tree. This miracle lead many to convert, angering the king, who then imprisoned and tortured Christopher. He eventually died a martyr and became Saint Christopher. There are competing histories regarding Saint Christopher's life and it is unclear whether he actually lived a life of holiness. Though still recognized on Diocesan and National calendars, the Vatican removed Saint Christopher's feast day from the universal calendar in 1969 due to a lack of historical evidence. Unofficially one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, known as the patron saint of travelers, he also holds patronage of people who carry things, automobile and truck drivers, bachelors, against lightning, against pestilence, epilepsy, floods, hail storms, gardeners, sailors, surfers, and for a holy death, among others.^[1]

POPULARITY

Christopher has been a popular name in the United States and other English speaking countries for over 125 years. In the United States, it has been in the top 1,000 most popular boy names in every decade since 1880, hitting a peak in the 1980's. Currently on 3000 favorite name lists, it ranked #7 for boys by the Social Security Administration in 2006.

FACTS

• In other languages: Christoph (German), Christophe (Scandinavian), Christophorus (Latin), Cristobal (Spanish), Cristoforo(Italian)

NAMESAKES

• One of the most famous namesakes in history, the navigator, colonizer and explorer, Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), has long, if incorrectly, been credited with discovering America. During his lifetime he made three voyages across the Atlantic in an effort to explore and colonize the Western Hemisphere. During his first voyage in 1492, he landed in the Bahamas on an island he named San Salvador; it is unknown today which was Columbus' first landfall, though the choices include Samana Cay, Plana Cays, or San Salvador Island (named in 1925 due to the belief that it indeed was Columbus's San Salvador.) In 1493, Columbus set off on his second voyage, landing in the Caribbean Islands. He then sailed through the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles, where he spotted and named various islands, including those he named for Saint Christopher-Saint Kitts and Saba. He passed through the Virgin Islands and then continued to Puerto Rico, the present-day Dominican Republic, and Cuba. He retraced his route before returning to Spain. He finally landed on mainland South America during his third voyage in 1498, after earlier European explorers had already been there. Columbus was given credit for his voyages due to the spirit of the time and the economic competition among developing nation states seeking wealth by establishing trade routes and colonies.

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Christopher Columbus, explorer and trader (1451 – 1506)
• Christopher Brown, American R&B singer and dancer (1989)
• Christopher Ashton Kutcher, American actor and television personality (1978)
• Christopher Robin is a character in Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne.
• Christopher Marlow, an Elizabethan dramatist.

NOTES

OTHER CHRISTOPHER'S

Christopher Amott, Christopher Gleason, Christopher Jensen, Christopher Plummer, Christopher Shane, Christopher Smith, Christopher Johnson, Christopher Williams, Christopher Jones, Christopher Brown, Christopher Davis, Christopher Miller, Christopher Wilson, Christopher Moore, Christopher Taylor, Christopher Aaberg, Christopher Aaby, Christopher Aadalen, Christopher Aadland, Christopher Aadnesen, Christopher Aakhus, Christopher Aakre, Christopher Aalmo, Christopher Aaltonen, Christopher Aamodt, Christopher Aamold, Christopher Aamot, Christopher Aanerud, Christopher Aanes, Christopher Aanstoos, Christopher Aardahl, Christopher Aardappel, Christopher Aardema, Christopher Aarhus, Christopher Aaroen, Christopher Aaron, Christopher Aarons, Christopher Aase, Christopher Aaserude, Christopher Aasness, Christopher Aasted, Christopher Ababon, Christopher Abacherli, Christopher Abadi, Christopher Abadiano, Christopher Abadie, Christopher Abair, Christopher Abaldo, Christopher Aballe, Christopher Aballo, More results

Author: Jennifer Tavella Willoughby