Kristina

Kristina is the German, Scandinavian, Slavic and Russian form of Christina, which itself is a feminized version of the Medieval Latin name Christianus meaning (quite obviously) “a Christian”. Ultimately, the Latin word for a Christian is derived from the Greek Christos from “chrio” meaning “to anoint”. Christós (Christ) was a title given to Jesus of Nazareth by Greek Christians in the first century to signify him as the anointed one by the power of God. The Greek Christós is also a translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” meaning essentially the same thing (anointed). Names like Christian, Christiana, Christina and Christine have been in use since the Middle Ages but did not become widely common until the 17th century. Christina of Sweden became Queen of Sweden at her coronation in 1650 but abdicated four years later when she converted to Catholicism (her family were prominent Protestants). This caused quite the scandal in her day, but it appears that she had a fitting first name! Kristina is a form of this name used throughout Eastern and Northern Europe primarily. It is ranked highest in Slovenia and Croatia. English speakers tend to favor Christine (French) and Christina (Latin).