Daily AncestorXtopher
Xtopher is an old abbreviation of the first name Christopher, common in deeds, wills, church registers and census pages.
Xtopher is a clerk's shorthand for the given name Christopher. Writers shortened common first names to save time and ink, usually by keeping the first letters and the last one or two, often with the final letters raised above the line.
The X stands for the Greek letter chi, the first letter of Christ in Greek, so it reads as Chr. Xtian for Christian works the same way, and Xpr is a shorter form of Christopher.
As seen in a recordMarriage entry in a parish register
Xtopher Holt and Mary his wife, of this parish
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Xtopher." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/xtopher. Last checked 2026-10-01.