Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Cristina

Cristina (without the “h”) is the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Christina derived from the Latin Christianus meaning “a Christian”. All of the “Christian” names are ultimately derived from the Greek name 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). Female names such as Christian, Christiane, Christina and Christine have been around since the Middle Ages but did not become widely common until the 17th century. Influencing the name’s success in part was Christina of Sweden (Queen of Sweden) who abdicated her throne in 1654 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! The former queen moved to Rome and thereafter became a champion for the arts. The Italians, Portuguese and Spanish took up the name in the form of Cristina. Today Cristina is quite common in Spain and Catalonia.

All About the Baby Name – Cristina

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME CRISTINA

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME CRISTINA

The pretty Spanish and Italian Cristina first appeared on the American female naming charts in 1948 and took off pretty quickly in popularity. The height of Cristina’s popularity was around the same time as many of the other “Christine” names (mainly during the 1980s). Cristina reached position #163 on the charts in 1986 which is quite impressive considering it’s mainly the Spanish-speaking Americans who opt for this particular spelling. In fact, Cristina’s past popularity is owed in large part to the growing Hispanic-American population in general. However, since the mid-1990s Cristina has fallen from her pedestal and is now used only rarely. Although still popular in Spain, Cristina is no longer a favorite among Spanish speakers in the United States. The spelling without the “h” definitely gives Cristina that added Italian/Spanish flair.

Quick Facts

ON CRISTINA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Italian

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

952

PRONUNCIATION:

kree-STEE-nah

SIMPLE MEANING:

Anointed, Christian, follower of Christ

Characteristics

OF CRISTINA

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Cristina

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME CRISTINA

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Cristina

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME CRISTINA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Cristina


Popular Songs

ON CRISTINA

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Cristina


Famous People

NAMED CRISTINA

Cristina Saralegui (Cuban-American talk show host)
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (President of Argentina)
Cristina Pérez (judge)
Cristina Scabbia (Italian singer)
Cristina D'Avena (Italian singer/actress)
Cristina Torrens Valero (Spanish tennis player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED CRISTINA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Cristina

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME CRISTINA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Cristina