Cris
Cris was the 6196th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 725th with 115 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,877 places. More babies were named Cris in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Chris) short for Christopher, Christian or Christina · Greek, Latin, English
- Rank in 2025
- #6,196 boys, up 1,432 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 14boys
- Girls and boys
- 6% girls, 94% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1960115 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,127babies recorded
What does the name Cris mean?
Cris is a spelling of Chris, pronounced the same way, so it shares Chris's meaning and origin.
Chris is a short form of Christopher and, less often, Christian, and for girls of Christina and similar names, as Wiktionary notes. DMNES explains Christopher as Greek Christos, Christ, plus pherein, to bear: "Christ-bearer." Christian and Christina come from the Latin word for a Christian. Wiktionary also records Dutch Chris as a shortening of Christiaan. Chris has been used in the US since 1880.
Χριστός (Ancient Greek, “Christ”)φέρειν (Ancient Greek, “to bear”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Christopher, Christian, Christina, Kris, Topher.
See also: Greek names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Chris' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Christopher', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Christian', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Cris popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | #6,196 | — | 14 |
| 2020 | — | #7,628 | — | 10 |
| 2010 | — | #3,731 | — | 28 |
| 2000 | #15,577 | #3,444 | 5 | 24 |
| 1990 | — | #4,013 | — | 14 |
| 1980 | — | #2,230 | — | 23 |
| 1970 | #2,405 | #1,034 | 31 | 62 |
| 1960 | #1,269 | #725 | 75 | 115 |
| 1950 | #3,473 | #1,578 | 10 | 22 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Cris, counting every spelling?
Cris is a spelling of Chris, a name family that ranked #583 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #6,196 for Cris on its own. Together these spellings went to 497 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris | 431 | #646 | 2,005 |
| Kris | 37 | #3,218 | 190 |
| Cris | 14 | #6,196 | 88 |
| Chriss | 5 | #12,399 | 37 |
| Khris | 5 | #13,051 | 37 |
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 Cris?
14 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cris (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Cris born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 596 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cris.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cris?
About 2,400 people born in the US named Cris are alive today, with a median age of 55; half are between 26 and 65. That makes Cris mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Cris by state
How common Cris was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cris: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cris, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Cris
What does Cris mean?
Cris is a spelling of Chris, which means “short for Christopher, Christian or Christina” (Greek, Latin, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Cris?
Cris was the 6196th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 725th with 115 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,877 places. More babies were named Cris in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Cris a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 6% girls, 94% boys given the name Cris in the US.
Where is Cris most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cris was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Texas.