Christopher
Christopher was the 68th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,748 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1984 (60,021). Over the last ten years it has moved down 36 places. More babies were named Christopher in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning bearer of Christ · Greek
Say it KRIS-tuh-fer /ˈkrɪstəfər/
- Rank in 2025
- #68 boys, down 21 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,748boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198460,021 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,079,103babies recorded
What does the name Christopher mean?
Christopher comes from the Greek Christophoros, made from Christos, 'Christ', and pherein, 'to carry', so it means 'one who carries Christ'. Wiktionary connects it with the legend of Saint Christopher carrying the child Jesus across a river. DMNES lists a 3rd-century martyr as the earliest known bearer and finds the name in English records from the 1400s. Chris, Kit and Topher are its common short forms.
Χριστός (Ancient Greek, “Christ, the anointed one”)φέρειν (Ancient Greek, “to carry, bear”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Chris, Kit, Topher, Cristóbal, Christoph, Kristopher.
See also: Greek names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Christopher', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Christopher', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Christopher', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Christopher
The usual nicknames for Christopher are Chris, Topher and Kit. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Christopher in the last five years, 8 were named Chris, against 3 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris · also for Christian, Christina, Christine | Traditional | #646 | 2,005 |
| Topher | Modern | — | — |
| Kit · also for Katherine, Kathleen | Traditional | #1,103 | 829 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Christophers go by each one.
Christopher popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 9,507 since 1938.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #68 | 4,748 |
| 2020 | #47 | 6,216 |
| 2010 | #13 | 14,299 |
| 2000 | #5 | 24,936 |
| 1990 | #2 | 52,362 |
| 1980 | #2 | 49,079 |
| 1970 | #6 | 41,747 |
| 1960 | #29 | 15,361 |
| 1950 | #72 | 4,835 |
| 1940 | #241 | 499 |
| 1930 | #344 | 267 |
| 1920 | #339 | 293 |
| 1910 | #296 | 70 |
| 1900 | #278 | 55 |
| 1890 | #201 | 66 |
| 1880 | #142 | 95 |
How popular is Christopher, counting every spelling?
Christopher is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #69 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #68 for Christopher on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,960 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher | 4,748 | #68 | 26,480 |
| Kristopher | 172 | #1,190 | 1,028 |
| Christofer | 22 | #4,569 | 125 |
| Khristopher | 18 | #5,315 | 96 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Christopher?
4,748 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Christopher (1.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Christopher born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 40. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Christopher.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Christopher?
About 1,884,100 people born in the US named Christopher are alive today, with a median age of 41; half are between 31 and 51. That makes Christopher mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Christopher by state
How common Christopher was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (1.9×), Mississippi (1.8×), District of Columbia (1.8×), Delaware (1.7×), New Mexico (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Hawaii, Minnesota, North Dakota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Christopher: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Christopher, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Christopher · Sibling names for Christopher
Questions about the name Christopher
What does Christopher mean?
Christopher means “bearer of Christ” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Christopher?
Christopher was the 68th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,748 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1984 (60,021). Over the last ten years it has moved down 36 places. More babies were named Christopher in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Christopher a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Christopher in the US.
Where is Christopher most popular?
In 2021–2025, Christopher was most common in Rhode Island (5.70 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and District of Columbia.