Christopher Columbus was born around 1451 in Genoa, which was then a republic in what is now Italy. His birth name was Cristoforo Colombo, and he was the son of a wool weaver named Domenico Colombo. This Genoese origin is the most widely accepted and documented theory, supported by records linking him to maritime trade and a letter Columbus wrote referring to Genoa as his homeland. While there are other theories suggesting he might have been born in Spain or had Spanish-Jewish ancestry, most scholars agree on Genoa as his birthplace based on historical documentation and scholarly consensus.