NameCensus.

UK surname

Christy

A surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning a follower of Christ.

In the 1881 census there were 631 people recorded with the Christy surname, ranking it #5,619 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 805, ranked #6,877, down from #5,619 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wigan and Kettering. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dover, Newark and Sherwood and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Christy is 838 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.6%.

1881 census count

631

Ranked #5,619

Modern count

805

2016, ranked #6,877

Peak year

2011

838 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Christy had 631 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,619 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 805 in 2016, ranked #6,877.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 685 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Christy surname distribution map

The map shows where the Christy surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Christy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Christy over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 435 #5,644
1861 historical 455 #5,698
1881 historical 631 #5,619
1891 historical 626 #6,177
1901 historical 679 #6,431
1911 historical 685 #6,182
1997 modern 789 #6,610
1998 modern 822 #6,617
1999 modern 831 #6,599
2000 modern 818 #6,657
2001 modern 795 #6,674
2002 modern 818 #6,648
2003 modern 792 #6,701
2004 modern 794 #6,712
2005 modern 780 #6,737
2006 modern 787 #6,715
2007 modern 781 #6,822
2008 modern 792 #6,811
2009 modern 808 #6,831
2010 modern 837 #6,774
2011 modern 838 #6,685
2012 modern 813 #6,749
2013 modern 821 #6,796
2014 modern 827 #6,797
2015 modern 809 #6,860
2016 modern 805 #6,877

Geography

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Where Christys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wigan, Kettering, Ashwell and Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dover, Newark and Sherwood, Wigan, Bradford and Maldon. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Wigan Lancashire
3 Kettering Northamptonshire
4 Ashwell Hertfordshire
5 Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dover 002 Dover
2 Newark and Sherwood 003 Newark and Sherwood
3 Wigan 012 Wigan
4 Bradford 019 Bradford
5 Maldon 001 Maldon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Christy

These lists show first names that appear often with the Christy surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Christy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Christy, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Christy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Christy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Christy is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Christy is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Christy falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Christy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Christy, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Christy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Christy surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 151 Christys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.06x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 151 2.06x
Middlesex 107 1.74x
Essex 68 5.59x
Hertfordshire 43 10.12x
Yorkshire 35 0.57x
Kent 25 1.19x
Cheshire 20 1.47x
Gloucestershire 20 1.65x
Lanarkshire 18 0.90x
Surrey 17 0.57x
Northumberland 15 1.64x
Midlothian 13 1.57x
Northamptonshire 11 1.90x
Lincolnshire 9 0.91x
Cambridgeshire 7 1.79x
Herefordshire 7 2.77x
Staffordshire 7 0.34x
Sussex 6 0.58x
Bedfordshire 5 1.57x
Cumberland 5 0.94x
Hampshire 5 0.40x
Dunbartonshire 4 2.41x
Warwickshire 4 0.26x
Durham 3 0.16x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.54x
Cornwall 2 0.29x
Dorset 2 0.49x
Fife 2 0.55x
Glamorgan 2 0.19x
Merionethshire 2 1.77x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.24x
Renfrewshire 2 0.42x
Stirlingshire 2 0.88x
Denbighshire 1 0.43x
Devon 1 0.08x
Isle of Man 1 0.87x
Kincardineshire 1 1.33x
Nairnshire 1 5.31x
Ross-shire 1 0.59x
Royal Navy 1 1.36x
West Lothian 1 1.08x
Worcestershire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ashwell in Hertfordshire leads with 19 Christys recorded in 1881 and an index of 568.86x.

Place Total Index
Ashwell 19 568.86x
Broomfield 15 785.34x
Clifton 12 19.63x
Everton 12 5.15x
Shoreditch London 12 4.49x
Weston 11 536.59x
Wigan 11 10.76x
Enfield 10 24.72x
Hornsey 10 12.83x
Lambeth 10 1.86x
Oldham 10 4.24x
Clee With Weelsby 9 41.71x
Gillingham 9 20.75x
Hindley 9 28.86x
Lathom 9 101.93x
Halliwell 8 30.05x
Lewisham 8 7.13x
Mile End Old Town London 8 6.10x
Openshaw 8 23.35x
Poplar London 8 6.88x
St George Hanover Square 8 7.37x
Byker 7 15.44x
Clitheroe 7 32.51x
Duston 7 133.08x
Gamlingay 7 171.99x
Islington London 7 1.17x
Leyton Low 7 28.29x
Liverpool 7 1.58x
Middlesbrough 7 8.80x
Roxwell 7 406.98x
Shotts 7 29.34x
St Marylebone London 7 2.13x
St Pancras London 7 1.41x
Tonge With Haulgh 7 49.16x
Bedford 6 39.22x
Bethnal Green London 6 2.24x
Chelmsford 6 28.74x
Kensington London 6 1.75x
Kirkdale 6 4.88x
Northleach 6 335.20x
Sawbridgeworth 6 93.31x
Skelmersdale 6 49.22x
Writtle 6 120.72x
Burslem 5 8.39x
Corbridge 5 148.81x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 1.50x
Ince In Makerfield 5 14.69x
Lanark 5 31.17x
Leominster 5 47.80x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 5 31.95x
Toxteth Park 5 2.02x
Barugh 4 77.52x
Bishop Stortford 4 28.19x
Bradford 4 11.68x
Bramhall 4 70.92x
Brodsworth 4 547.95x
Chelsea London 4 2.15x
Chignall St James 4 888.89x
Chorlton On Medlock 4 3.44x
Crichton 4 173.91x
Great Canfield 4 547.95x
North Meols 4 5.59x
Portsea 4 1.62x
Potton 4 94.34x
Row 4 18.67x
St Luke London 4 4.05x
Walthamstow 4 9.13x
West Ham 4 1.49x
Broughton In Salford 3 4.49x
Chester St John Baptist 3 12.26x
Colchester St Mary At 3 69.61x
Govan 3 0.61x
Great Bolton 3 3.10x
Great Dunmow 3 47.32x
Hexham 3 21.13x
Little Bolton 3 3.19x
Manchester 3 0.91x
Northampton St Peter 3 85.23x
Scarborough 3 5.40x
Shadwell 3 128.76x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Christy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 39
Elizabeth 17
Jane 16
Eliza 11
Sarah 11
Emma 10
Alice 9
Annie 9
Margaret 9
Ann 8
Catherine 7
Ellen 7
Hannah 7
Florence 6
Isabella 5
Charlotte 4
Edith 4
Harriet 4
Kate 4
Ada 3
Caroline 3
Emily 3
Ethel 3
Fanny 3
Julia 3
Matilda 3
Susan 3
Beatrice 2
Clara 2
Esther 2
Lilian 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Nancy 2
Sophia 2
Susannah 2
Carroline 1
Cecelia 1
Celia 1
Elenor 1
Eliver 1
Eliz. 1
Eliz.Ann 1
Elizth. 1
Ellenor 1
Grace 1
Henrietta 1
Jemima 1
Winnie 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Christy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 40
John 34
James 28
George 21
Thomas 19
Henry 13
Charles 12
Robert 10
Richard 7
Edward 6
Peter 6
David 5
Joseph 5
Michael 5
Samuel 5
Arthur 3
Frank 3
Patrick 3
Percy 3
Walter 3
Abraham 2
Albert 2
Andrew 2
Augustus 2
Benjamin 2
Fred 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Stephen 2
Wm. 2
Archibald 1
Bernard 1
Clarence 1
Clement 1
Cornelius 1
Earn. 1
Edwin 1
Ellen 1
Ellis 1
Ernest 1
Foll 1
Francis 1
Fred. 1
Horace 1
Hugh 1
Infant 1
Jessie 1
Johnathan 1
Jonas 1
Wyvill 1

FAQ

Christy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Christy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 631 people were recorded with the Christy surname. That placed it at #5,619 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Christy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 805 in 2016. That gives Christy a modern rank of #6,877.

What does the Christy surname mean?

A surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning a follower of Christ.

What does the Christy map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Christy bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.