The Crist surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 10,518 people carried this name — #3,401 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 28,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 10,122 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Crist surname

Apparently from Old English Crīst, Crist (the vowel may originally have been long in early OE, with subsequent shortening in late OE, see Notes for Christmas on the OED.com website), possibly applied as a nickname for someone who played the part of Christ in a pageant, or alternatively a pet form of the personal names Christian or Christopher.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Crist» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

59 families named Crist, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 374 people lived in those households, 6.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 33
New York 13
Maryland 10
Virginia 1
North Carolina 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 235 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Crist in American newspapers,
1852–1918.

Newspaper page from The Woodville Republican carrying the name Crist
The Woodville Republican 1852-01-06
Newspaper page from The Daily Missoulian carrying the name Crist
The Daily Missoulian 1913-08-17
Newspaper page from The Daily Missoulian carrying the name Crist
The Daily Missoulian 1918-01-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 57,846 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Crist in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

680 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Crist. The most, 196, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 248
New South Wales 138
Victoria 131
South Australia 58
Western Australia 58
Tasmania 29
ACT (Canberra) 1
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Crist.

Who carried it

People named Crist,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Alice Guerin Crist
    Alice Guerin Crist 1876–1941 · writer
  • Alice Guerin Crist
    Alice Guerin Crist 1876–1941 · writer
  • George B. Crist
    George B. Crist 1931–2024 · military officer
  • Elizabeth Frances Crist d. 2014
  • Henry Crist 1764–1844 · politician
  • Leander Meade Crist 1837–1929 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Crist,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States797 records

797 records of the Crist name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 416
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 142
  • Other U.S. records 239
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George A. Crist

    Born 1906 in California. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles; sales clerk. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1955, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Stephen Edward Crist

    Born 1949; from Conneaut, Ohio. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catriha Crist

    Arrived at New York in 1854 aboard the Christiana from London, aged 19; servant. From Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 797 records for Crist in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands58 records

58 records of the Crist name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 37
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 12
  • Dutch population registers 9
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Gerritje Hermina Crist

    Married in 1844 in 's-Gravenhage; seamstress.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Christiaan Crist

    Died 1861 in Amersfoort, aged 39.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Frederik Crist

    In the population register of Haarlem; butcher.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 58 records for Crist in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada13 records

13 records of the Crist name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 9
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Julia Mae Crist

    Buried in 1974 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 88.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Henry Adelaide Crist

    Died 1933 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Brian Vincent Crist

    Died in service in 1943.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 13 records for Crist in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia10 records

10 records of the Crist name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 5
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 2
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Geo Crist

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Birmingham, aged 26; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Roy Joseph Crist

    Clock maker of Blackburn, Victoria; died 2001.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Johann Crist

    Naturalised in Queensland in 1861.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Crist in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany8 records

8 records of the Crist name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Isidor Crist

    From Hangenbieten, Straßburg. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 18 August 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 137).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Crist

    From Güntersleben, Unterfr. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 21 June 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 9).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Crist

    From Kreuznach, Coblenz. Listed as returned from captivity in the Prussian casualty list of 9 February 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Crist in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France6 records

6 records of the Crist name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Eugenie Clotilde Augustine Crist

    Born 1900 in Cannes; died 1980 in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Francoise Crist

    Born 1899 in Cipières; died 1980 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paula Josephine Crist

    Born 1913 in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes); died 1983 in La Penne-sur-Huveaune (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Crist in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Crist.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Crist is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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