What Does The "H" In Jesus H. Christ Mean? A Bible Scholar Explains All

It doesn't stand for Hector.

Tom Hale

Senior Journalist

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture.View full profile

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture.

View full profile

EditedbyLaura Simmons

A gold statue of Jesus Christ opening his arms against a blue sky — Jesus goes by dozens of names in the Bible, including Jesus H. Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God, King of Kings, Messiah, and many more.
Image credit: Raghavendra V. Konkathi/Unsplash

Have you ever heard of Jesus being called Jesus H. Christ? This is, in fact, not a little-known middle name like Hector, but a relic of the Greek alphabet and Christian symbolism.

Dr Dan McClellan, Biblical scholar at the University of Birmingham and keen TikTokker, explains that the most widely accepted theory of the middle “H” initial is that it originated as a Christogram, a monogram formed of letters and symbols representing Jesus.

Christograms can be found on all kinds of artifacts, from artworks and coins to gravestones and even ancient tattoos. As it turns out, there’s even one slipped into the name of Jesus Christ himself.