Chirstopher
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "bearer of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 986 living Americans carry the first name Chirstopher. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chirstopher today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chirstopher births was 1981 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chirstopher. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
986
~ 1 in 347,621 Americans
Peak year
1981
57 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2008 SSA rank
#8,429
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Chirstopher: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chirstopher from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 463 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chirstopher by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Chirstopher during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chirstophers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Chirstopher, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chirstopher
The given name Christopher has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the Greek words "Christos" meaning "Christ" and "phero" meaning "to bear or carry." The name essentially translates to "Christ-bearer" or "one who carries Christ."
In the late 3rd century AD, the name Christopher was associated with a legendary saint and martyr from Asia Minor, also known as St. Christopher. According to Christian tradition, he was a tall and powerful man who carried a child across a river, only to later discover that the child was the Christ child, and he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The earliest recorded use of the name Christopher dates back to around the 4th century AD, when it began to gain popularity among early Christians. It was widely used in regions where Christianity had spread, including parts of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Christopher in history was Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer who is credited with leading the first European voyages to the Americas in 1492. His voyages initiated the colonization of the Americas by Europeans and significantly impacted world history.
Another notable Christopher was Christopher Marlowe, an English playwright, poet, and translator who lived from 1564 to 1593. He was a key figure in the English Renaissance and is best known for his plays such as "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" and "The Jew of Malta."
Christopher Wren, an English architect who lived from 1632 to 1723, was responsible for designing many iconic buildings in London, including St. Paul's Cathedral and parts of Hampton Court Palace. His architectural works greatly influenced the Baroque style in England.
Christopher Isherwood, an English novelist and playwright born in 1904, was known for his works depicting the decadent culture of the 1930s in Berlin, including "Goodbye to Berlin" and "The Berlin Stories." His works provided insights into the social and political climate of pre-World War II Germany.
Christopher Plummer, a Canadian actor born in 1929, had a prolific career spanning over seven decades. He is best known for his roles in films such as "The Sound of Music," "The Insider," and "Beginners," for which he won an Academy Award at the age of 82, making him the oldest actor to win an Oscar.
People
Chirstopher + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chirstopher as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Chirstopher: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chirstopher?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 986 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chirstopher going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 347,621 US residents.
Is Chirstopher a common name?
We classify Chirstopher as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,051 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chirstopher most popular?
The single biggest year for Chirstopher was 1981, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chirstopher is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chirstopher a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chirstopher in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.