# Why is the name "Christian" in use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 20, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501 "2006-08-20T23:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/21 "2006-08-21T15:16:41Z")
I dunno, my mum just liked it. So do I. And I’m atheist! ---
**Author:** ![x\_lenia\_x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/5daacb/32.png) [@x\_lenia\_x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x_lenia_x)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/22 "2006-08-21T15:20:28Z")
[QUOTE=WaterBeGood] I don’t get it, would it be like calling your kid “Jewish” or something? [/QUOTE] ‘islam’ is a common muslim name… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/23 "2006-08-21T18:16:29Z")
[QUOTE=Nancarrow] I dunno, my mum just liked it. So do I. And I’m atheist! [/QUOTE] How odd… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/24 "2006-08-21T20:04:04Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] I’ve always liked the name a lot, but due to our last name, any “Chris” names are unusable. Well, also we didn’t have any boys. [/QUOTE] Hey, it worked for Kris Kristofferson. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/25 "2006-08-22T02:18:31Z")
So now we know about Christian and Judith, so I’ll point out that Islam is also used as a given name. To muddy the waters further, François and Françoise are common given names in French; _françois_ was the old form of the word _français_. The poet François Villon plays with the double meaning in one of his poems. France is also a woman’s given name. Are there any other examples of given names that are the name of an ethnicity/a nation? (There are of course tons of _family_ names that are such, such as English, French, Deutsch, Langlois, Italiano, Scott, and such.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/26 "2006-08-22T15:36:49Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] My other WAG is that the name arose from John Bunyan’s classic allegory _The Pilgrim’s Progress_, in which the main character is named Christian (because it’s an allegory, and that’s what he’s supposed to represent). [/QUOTE] Do allegories usually hit you over the head with things like this?? ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/27 "2006-08-22T20:13:36Z")
[QUOTE=Caffeine Cat] Also note that adjective “christian” and given name “Christian” are identical only by chance. In old english “Christian” (name) was written as “Cristen”. [/QUOTE] Really? I thought is was written “cretin” ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/28 "2006-08-22T21:50:25Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] Are there any other examples of given names that are the name of an ethnicity/a nation? (There are of course tons of _family_ names that are such, such as English, French, Deutsch, Langlois, Italiano, Scott, and such.) [/QUOTE] Spain is both a [first](http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MUSGRSPA01) and [last](http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/spainke01.html) name. [India](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0020586/) is somewhere between rare and common as a first name. [Chad](http://baby-names.adoption.com/search/Chad.html) is both a first name and a country, although the two senses of the word are not etymologically related. However, the origin of both the female name and the national designation of _Georgia_ can ultimately be traced to a Greek word meaning [“farmer” or “rural man”.](http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/George) A famous father and son are both named **Cuba** Gooding. [France Nuyen](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0638395/bio) gained some fame as an actress. [Jordan](http://hockeysfuture.com/prospect/jordan_smith) has been used as a first name for both boys and girls, although the basketball player Michael Jordan might be more responsible than the Middle Eastern country (and river) for the last twenty or so years’ worth of examples. Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger named their daughter [Ireland,](http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/63222004.htm) and the more common first name [Erin](http://www.answers.com/erin&r=67) is a poetic term for that island west of Great Britain. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/29 "2006-08-22T23:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] Are there any other examples of given names that are the name of an ethnicity/a nation? [/QUOTE] [ul] [li][French Stewart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Stewart)[/li][li][Israel Kamakawiwoʻole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Kamakawiwo%27ole) (and [many more](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_%28disambiguation%29))[/li][li][American McGee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_McGee)[/li][li][Chyna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyna)[/li][li][Jordan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_%28bishop_of_Poland%29) (and [many more](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_%28disambiguation%29))[/li][li]Tonga is a first name among the Tongans, but that’s because Tonga the country was named after the mythological woman Tonga.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/30 "2006-08-23T01:38:15Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut] [American McGee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_McGee) [/QUOTE] I had no idea until now that American McGee was an actual person. I always thought it was just the name of the video game design company. Like American Apparel designs clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/31 "2006-08-23T05:05:04Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] So now we know about Christian and Judith, so I’ll point out that Islam is also used as a given name. [/QUOTE] Jude/Yehudah are the masculine equivalent of JudithYehudit. But these names refer primarily to the tribe that gave its name to the religion. It was only later that the religion as a whole got named after this one tribe out of (more than) 12. Islam as a given name-- The only example I can think of is Islam Karimov, the president of Uzbekistan. Tragically, that man is a brutal monster of a dictator, who massacred hundreds of innocent civilians in Andijon last year and hushed it up. One day the truth will be all out in the open. Until then, fuck you, Islam Karimov, you fucking asshole. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501/32 "2006-08-23T05:07:52Z")
If it makes you feel any better, the first fellow named Islam I knew of is a loyal New Democrat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-name-christian-in-use/369501.md?page=1)