Christmas (surname) facts for kids

The Christmas family crest

The surname Christmas is an unusual family name in the English language. Its exact origin isn't fully known. Some old family history books suggest it was given to people born around the Christmas holiday. However, other researchers and even DNA tests show that many people with this surname might come from a single ancestor. Another idea is that the name was given to people who organized Christmas parties, or that it came from the Normans. The name is most common in Southern England. Many famous people around the world have had this surname, and it has also been used for several characters in books and movies. For example, the character Joe Christmas in William Faulkner's novel Light in August has a name that people often discuss. Also, a blood disorder called Christmas disease (now known as haemophilia B) was first described in a boy with this surname.

Where the Name Comes From (Etymology)
How the Surname Started
History of the Name
- Christmas Disease
Famous People with the Surname Christmas
Fictional Characters with the Name Christmas
- Joe Christmas
See also

Where the Name Comes From (Etymology)

The word "Christmas" in English comes from an older Middle English phrase, "Crīstes mæsse." This means "Christ's mass," referring to a special church service for Jesus Christ. The word "Crīstes" comes from the Greek word "Chrīstos." The word "Christmas," as we know it for the celebration of Jesus' birth on December 25, started being used around the 1100s.

How the Surname Started

There isn't one clear answer about how "Christmas" became a family name. Some books say it was given to people born on or near Christmas Day. This would mean "someone born at Christmas." It might have started as a nickname or a first name that later became a family name passed down through generations.

In the 1870s, a writer named Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley noticed that "Noel" (which means Christmas in French) was a common first name for boys born on Christmas. But as the French meaning became less known in England, the name "Christmas" sometimes took its place. Today, "Noel" is again more common for this purpose.

However, a family history researcher named Henry Christmas thinks the "born at Christmas" idea is "too simple." He believes it doesn't make sense because the surname is quite rare and found mostly in specific areas.

Early records supporting the "born at Christmas" idea include books like A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) and Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912). The very first mention of this idea was in Patronymica Britannica (1860). It said that a historian from the Tudor period named William Camden thought the name was given at baptism because the person was born on the Christmas festival day.

In 2005, scientists in Oxford studied the DNA of some men with the Christmas surname. They found that 70% of them came from one man who lived in Yorkshire in the 1200s. Henry Christmas, the researcher, found the earliest spelling of the name as "Chrystmasse." He thought it might have come from the Norman language. Another book from 1874, The Norman People, suggests that "Christmas" is a direct translation of the French surname "Noel."

The Dictionary of American Family Names (2003) mentions two possible origins for the surname. One is that it was given to someone connected to Christmas, like a person who led the holiday celebrations. The other is that it's a translation of the French name "Noel."

History of the Name

The Christmas surname is mainly found in Essex and Sussex counties in England. In 1890, a book called Homes of Family Names in Great Britain described it as an "ancient name" in these areas. It was also found in Cambridgeshire and was spelled "Cristemasse" in the 1200s. Records show spellings like "Cristemass" in 1185 and 1191, and "Cristesmesse" in 1308. The name was also found in County Waterford, Ireland, by 1622.

During the time of King James I, a man named Gerard Christmas and his sons, John and Matthew, were very good at creating entertainment. They were skilled carvers and also put on the annual Lord Mayor's Show pageants in London. The royal family approved of their work, which lasted for 21 years and was highly respected.

In the 1600s, a Thomas Christmas was a trumpeter for King Charles II. Another Thomas Christmas, who passed away in 1520, was a successful merchant and gave a lot of money to good causes in Colchester.

In the 1900s, William Herbert Turner put together two books about Christmas families living in South Carolina and along the East Coast of the United States.

Christmas Disease

Haemophilia B is a blood disorder also known as Christmas disease. It was named after Stephen Christmas, who was the first patient described with this condition. The Journal of Haemophilia Practice joked that Stephen Christmas's parents had a good sense of humor when they named him Stephen and his brother Robin with the surname Christmas. Other men named Christmas have also been found to have this inherited condition.

The condition is caused by a lack of something called Factor IX, which is also known as the Christmas factor (again, named after Stephen Christmas). The first article about this condition was published in a journal around Christmas time. Because of this, some people thought the name was disrespectful to the holiday and asked for it to be changed. So, the condition is now officially called haemophilia B.

Famous People with the Surname Christmas

Art Christmas (1905–1961), a Canadian jazz saxophonist.
Cecil Christmas (1886–1916), an English football player.
Celestina Christmas (1827–1859), an English woman (also known as Celestina Sommer).
Dani Christmas (born 1987), a British racing cyclist and former runner.
David Christmas (born 1969), an English cricket player.
Demarcus Christmas (born 1995), an American football player.
Dionte Christmas (born 1986), an American professional basketball player.
Edward A. Christmas (1903–1969), an American horse trainer.
Eric Christmas (1916–2000), a British actor.
Ernst William Christmas (1863–1918), an Australian painter.
George R. Christmas (born 1940), an American Marine Corps general.
Henry Christmas (1811–1868), an English Anglican priest.
Jarred Christmas (born around 1980), a New Zealand-born British comedian.
John Christmas (born 1969), an American former banker and writer.
Johnny Christmas (born 1982), a lacrosse player for the Philadelphia Wings team.
Julie Christmas (born 1975), an American heavy metal singer.
Karima Christmas (born 1989), an American female professional basketball player.
Keith Christmas (born 1946), an English singer-songwriter.
Lee Christmas (1863–1924), an American mercenary.
Mary Christmas, an American magazine editor.
Rakeem Christmas (born 1991), an American college basketball player.
Randy Christmas (1920–1969), a Mayor of Miami, Florida.
Ruth Christmas (1904–2001), an English middle-distance runner.
Stephen Christmas (1947–1993), the person for whom the blood clotting protein Factor IX was named.
Steve Christmas (born 1957), an American Major League Baseball player.
William Christmas (Kilmallock MP) (1734–1803), an Irish politician, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kilmallock from 1776–1783.
William Christmas (Waterford MP) (1798–1867), an Irish politician, who was a Conservative Party MP for Waterford City.
William Whitney Christmas (1895–1960), an American aviation pioneer and designer of the Christmas Bullet aircraft.

Fictional Characters with the Name Christmas

Joe Christmas, a character in William Faulkner's novel Light in August.
Lee Christmas, played by Jason Statham, a member of the Expendables team in the movie series.
Lloyd Christmas, played by Jim Carrey, one of the main characters in the Dumb and Dumber movie series.
Miss Merry Christmas, a member of Baroque Works from the manga series One Piece.
Rev. Tom Christmas, the main character of C. C. Benison's Father Christmas Mystery book series.
The Christmas family in the 2021 holiday movie Father Christmas Is Back.
An unseen character named U.S. Christmas is mentioned in the 1973 movie, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

Joe Christmas

The character Joe Christmas in William Faulkner's novel has a name that is very important to his identity. He was given the name because he was left at an orphanage on Christmas Day. He chooses to keep this name instead of taking the surname of his foster father.

A researcher named Owen Robinson wrote that Joe's name, "Christmas," is at the very heart of who he is. Another writer, Alfred Kazin, said that because the name doesn't give him a clear personal identity, it's "worse than any real name could be." Robinson argues that by choosing a name that shows a lack of identity, Joe shapes how he deals with things, and this is a big part of the story.

The story also deals with issues of race, and Joe Christmas's unclear background is a main problem. Again, his name is used to define him. For example, another character asks, "Did you ever hear of a white man named Christmas?" There is also religious conflict in the story. At one point, Joe Christmas's foster father says his surname is disrespectful to religion. Some scholars have even compared Joe Christmas to Jesus Christ.