Christianity in Morocco 250,000 Spaniard Catholics lived in Morocco. Most Spaniards left Morocco after independence and their numbers were reduced to about 13,000. Today the expatriate Christian community (Roman Catholic and Protestant) consists of 5,000 practicing members, although estimates of Christians residing in the country at any particular time range up to 25,000. Most Christians reside in the Casablanca, Tangier, and Rabat urban areas. The majority of Christians in Morocco are foreigners, although Voice of the Martyrs reports there is a growing number of native Moroccans (45,000) converting to Christianity, especially in the rural areas. Many of the converts are baptized secretly in
Tangier Tinga, Titga, &c. The old Berber name was "Tingi" (), which Ruiz connects to Berber "tingis", meaning "marsh". The Greeks later claimed that "Tingís" () had been named for a daughter of the titan Atlas, who was supposed to support the vault of heaven nearby. Latin Tingis then developed into Portuguese ', Spanish ', and French "", which entered English as "Tangier" and "Tangiers". The Arabic name of the town is "Tanjah" (), and the modern Berber name is "Tanja" (). Tangier was formally known as ("The Julian Colony of Tingis") following its elevation to colony status during the Roman