Christopher Polhem

Christopher Polhammar (18 December 1661 – 30 August 1751), better known as  Christopher Polhem , which he took after his ennoblement, was a Swedish scientist, inventor and industrialist. He made significant contributions to the economic and industrial development of Sweden, particularly mining.

Biography

Polhem was born on the island of Gotland in the small village of Tingstäde, situated northeast of Visby.

Originally the Polhem family came from Austria to Pomerania, Germany, from where his father, Wolf Christoph Polhammer traded with Visby, where he would eventually settle down to become a skipper. When Polhem was 8, his father died and his mother, Christina Eriksdotter Schening from Vadstena, Östergötland remarried. As a result of conflicts with his stepfather, his private tuition was no longer paid for and Polhem was sent to live with his uncle in Stockholm. In Stockholm he attended a German school until the age of 12 when his uncle died; once again Polhem was left without the possibility of education.

Christopher

Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (Christóforos). The constituent parts are Χριστός (Christós), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρειν (férein), "bear": the "Christ-bearer". It is related to the names Chris meaning "Anointed" and Christian meaning "follower of Christ" or "little Christ" (all from Greek.)

As a given, or first name, Christopher has been in use since the 10th century. In English, Christopher may be abbreviated as "Chris", and sometimes "Kit". Another less common abbreviation "Topher" or "Toph", has come into wider use in the U.S.

It was frequently the most popular male first name in the United Kingdom, having been in the top twenty in England and Wales from the 1940s until 1995, although it has since dropped out of the top 100. The name is most common in England and not so common in Wales, Scotland, or Ireland.

People with the name