Boy nameCurrently #61 in the USFalling
Christopher
KRIS-tuh-fer//ˈkrɪstəfər//
3 syllablesPeak year: 198411 lettersStarts with C
Meaning & origin
Bearer of Christ
Christopher comes from Greek elements meaning 'Christ' and 'to bear', referring to the legend of Saint Christopher, who carried the Christ child across a river. A hugely popular name through the late 20th century, it remains a solid, dependable classic.
Christopher's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Christopher |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 95 |
| 1881 | 68 |
| 1882 | 89 |
| 1883 | 89 |
| 1884 | 68 |
| 1885 | 71 |
| 1886 | 66 |
| 1887 | 56 |
| 1888 | 79 |
| 1889 | 71 |
| 1890 | 66 |
| 1891 | 62 |
| 1892 | 100 |
| 1893 | 93 |
| 1894 | 72 |
| 1895 | 60 |
| 1896 | 73 |
| 1897 | 57 |
| 1898 | 43 |
| 1899 | 42 |
| 1900 | 55 |
| 1901 | 34 |
| 1902 | 47 |
| 1903 | 50 |
| 1904 | 43 |
| 1905 | 50 |
| 1906 | 49 |
| 1907 | 52 |
| 1908 | 54 |
| 1909 | 50 |
| 1910 | 70 |
| 1911 | 83 |
| 1912 | 151 |
| 1913 | 157 |
| 1914 | 200 |
| 1915 | 242 |
| 1916 | 260 |
| 1917 | 263 |
| 1918 | 272 |
| 1919 | 262 |
| 1920 | 293 |
| 1921 | 291 |
| 1922 | 307 |
| 1923 | 294 |
| 1924 | 297 |
| 1925 | 286 |
| 1926 | 270 |
| 1927 | 285 |
| 1928 | 266 |
| 1929 | 273 |
| 1930 | 267 |
| 1931 | 237 |
| 1932 | 244 |
| 1933 | 205 |
| 1934 | 271 |
| 1935 | 269 |
| 1936 | 277 |
| 1937 | 294 |
| 1938 | 316 |
| 1939 | 364 |
| 1940 | 506 |
| 1941 | 625 |
| 1942 | 830 |
| 1943 | 903 |
| 1944 | 1,011 |
| 1945 | 1,165 |
| 1946 | 1,620 |
| 1947 | 2,303 |
| 1948 | 3,072 |
| 1949 | 4,029 |
| 1950 | 4,866 |
| 1951 | 5,776 |
| 1952 | 6,317 |
| 1953 | 6,105 |
| 1954 | 6,115 |
| 1955 | 7,948 |
| 1956 | 8,417 |
| 1957 | 9,038 |
| 1958 | 11,117 |
| 1959 | 12,957 |
| 1960 | 15,411 |
| 1961 | 17,279 |
| 1962 | 17,604 |
| 1963 | 18,408 |
| 1964 | 19,688 |
| 1965 | 24,722 |
| 1966 | 27,972 |
| 1967 | 29,547 |
| 1968 | 31,599 |
| 1969 | 35,848 |
| 1970 | 41,968 |
| 1971 | 48,494 |
| 1972 | 52,423 |
| 1973 | 48,584 |
| 1974 | 48,878 |
| 1975 | 46,879 |
| 1976 | 45,470 |
| 1977 | 47,003 |
| 1978 | 47,534 |
| 1979 | 50,981 |
| 1980 | 49,394 |
| 1981 | 50,513 |
| 1982 | 59,659 |
| 1983 | 59,747 |
| 1984 | 60,409 |
| 1985 | 60,031 |
| 1986 | 57,106 |
| 1987 | 54,872 |
| 1988 | 53,369 |
| 1989 | 53,426 |
| 1990 | 52,547 |
| 1991 | 47,268 |
| 1992 | 42,603 |
| 1993 | 38,348 |
| 1994 | 34,909 |
| 1995 | 32,781 |
| 1996 | 30,976 |
| 1997 | 29,165 |
| 1998 | 27,061 |
| 1999 | 25,669 |
| 2000 | 24,987 |
| 2001 | 23,172 |
| 2002 | 21,718 |
| 2003 | 20,795 |
| 2004 | 19,733 |
| 2005 | 19,220 |
| 2006 | 19,727 |
| 2007 | 20,054 |
| 2008 | 18,005 |
| 2009 | 16,390 |
| 2010 | 14,307 |
| 2011 | 13,043 |
| 2012 | 11,938 |
| 2013 | 10,893 |
| 2014 | 10,403 |
| 2015 | 9,866 |
| 2016 | 9,114 |
| 2017 | 8,315 |
| 2018 | 7,342 |
| 2019 | 7,020 |
| 2020 | 6,224 |
| 2021 | 5,867 |
| 2022 | 5,584 |
| 2023 | 5,197 |
| 2024 | 5,054 |
Christopher through the decades
- Christopher peaked in 1984, when 60,409 babies were named Christopher in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Christopher has fallen 55% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Christopher currently ranks #61 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
ChrisTopher
Variants & spellings
KristopherCristóbal
Famous people named Christopher
- Christopher Columbus — explorer
Names like Christopher
Similar-sounding names.