'Christianophobia' originates from Modern English coinage combining 'Christian' (from Latin/Greek) and the suffix '-phobia' from Greek 'phobos', where 'phobos' meant 'fear'.

'Christianophobia' developed by combining the noun 'Christian' (from Latin 'Christianus', from Greek 'Christianos') with the pseudo-formative Greek-derived suffix '-phobia' (from 'phobos') in Modern English; the pattern follows other formations like 'Islamophobia' and 'homophobia' originating in the 19th–20th centuries.

Initially formed to describe a literal fear of Christians, the term has broadened to include social and political hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Christians.