Christmas (surname)
Christmas is a relatively rare surname, which is sometimes said to have been a byname given to a person born at Christmas.[1] However, others dispute this interpretation.[2]
A few hundred years ago, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. When literacy was still uncommon, spelling variations are often found in names with Anglo-Saxon origins which are transcribed based . Words were transcribed using their pronunciation when names are listed in public records.[3]
The byname was spelled "Cristemass" in 1185 and 1191, and "Cristesmesse" in 1308.[4] The name is principally found in Essex and Sussex counties in England where some records suggest that they held a family seat during ancient times..
At least fifty (50) women called Mary have married a man with the surname of Christmas over the past 170 years to become Mary Christmas. In December 2012, living Mrs. Mary Christmas from Hull, England was featured online as a woman with a year-round Yuletide spirit.[5] She is a wife to a certain Leeroy Christmas.
The earliest known record on Mary Christmas was discovered in 1837 when Mary Cannon married a Mr. Christmas in Alton, Hampshire and "set herself up for years of festive ribbing."[6]
Notable persons with the surname Christmas
- Art Christmas (1905–1961), Canadian jazz saxophonist
- Cecil Christmas (1886–1916), English footballer
- David Christmas (born 1969), English cricketer
- Dionte Christmas (born 1986), American professional basketball player
- Edward A. Christmas (1903–1969), American horse trainer
- Eric Christmas (1916–2000), British actor
- Ernst William Christmas (1863–1918), Australian painter
- George R. Christmas (born 1940), American Marine Corps general
- Henry Christmas (1811–1868), English Anglican priest
- Jarred Christmas, New Zealand comedian
- John Christmas (born 1969), American former banker and writer
- Johnny Christmas (born 1982), lacrosse player for Philadelphia Wings
- Julie Christmas, American heavy metal singer
- Karima Christmas (born 1989), American female professional basketball player
- Keith Christmas (born 1946), English singer song-writer
- Lee Christmas (1863–1924), American mercenary
- Mary Christmas, American magazine editor
- Rakeem Christmas (born 1991), American college basketball player
- Randy Christmas (1920–1960), Mayor of Miami, Florida
- Ruth Christmas (1904–2001), English middle-distance runner
- Stephen Christmas (1947–1993), for whom the blood clotting protein Factor IX was named
- Steve Christmas (born 1957), American Major League Baseball player
- William Whitney Christmas (1895–1960), 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
- Lloyd Christmas, character in the movies Dumb and Dumber, Dumb and Dumberer, and Dumber and Dumber To
- Miss Merry Christmas, member of Baroque Works from the manga series One Piece
- Lee Christmas, a member of The Expendables in the movie franchise of the same name. He is played by Jason Statham.
See also
References
- ↑ Christmas Surname at Forebears.co. Uk Accessed February 19, 2013
- ↑ "DNA search for 'father' Christmas". BBC News. 2005-11-23. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
- ↑ Christmas surname history at the House of Names.com Accessed February 20, 2013
- ↑ Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Christmas.
- ↑ Meet Mary Christmas, the Woman with Year-Round Yuletide Spirit Accessed February 19, 2013
- ↑ A merry time with festive surnames Accessed February 21, 2013
External links
- Christmas Families Home Page Retrieved April 2, 2013
- Christmas Family History at AncientFaces.com Retrieved April 2, 2013