Christoph
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "bearer of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 1,100 living Americans carry the first name Christoph. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Christoph today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Christoph births was 1969 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Christoph. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 311,595 Americans
Peak year
1969
32 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,120
Tracked since 1952
Popularity
Christoph: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Christoph from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 249 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Christoph 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 Christoph during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Christophs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New York, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Christoph, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Christoph
The name Christoph is derived from the Greek word "Christos", meaning "anointed one" or "the anointed", which is a reference to Jesus Christ. The name is a combination of the Greek words "Christos" and "phero", meaning "to bear" or "to carry". The name essentially means "bearer of Christ" or "follower of Christ".
The name Christoph has its origins in the early Christian era and was initially used as a religious name by followers of Christianity. The name was particularly popular in regions where Christianity spread, such as Europe and parts of the Middle East. The name was later adopted and adapted by various cultures and languages, leading to different spellings and variations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Christoph can be found in the Bible, where it appears in the New Testament as the name of one of the apostles, Christopher. The name gained significant popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where it was commonly used as a first name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Christoph. One of the most famous is Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), an influential German composer who revolutionized the operatic tradition with his "reform operas". Another notable figure is Christoph Kolumbus, better known as Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer who is credited with the European discovery of the Americas.
Christoph Schlingensief (1960-2010) was a German filmmaker, artist, and actor known for his provocative and controversial works that challenged societal norms. Christoph Waltz (born 1956) is an Austrian actor who gained international recognition for his performances in films like "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained", for which he won Academy Awards.
Christoph von Schmid (1768-1854) was a German Catholic priest and author who wrote popular children's books and stories. His works, which included moral tales and religious narratives, were widely read and translated into multiple languages during the 19th century.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Christoph
People
Christoph + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Christoph 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
Christoph: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Christoph?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,100 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Christoph 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 311,595 US residents.
Is Christoph a common name?
We classify Christoph as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Christoph most popular?
The single biggest year for Christoph was 1969, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Christoph is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Christoph a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Christoph 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.