Chrys
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "chrysos," meaning golden or gilded.
Name Census estimates that about 166 living Americans carry the first name Chrys. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Chrys today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chrys births was 1953 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chrys. 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
166
~ 1 in 2,064,785 Americans
Peak year
1953
20 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
2017 SSA rank
#6,793
Tracked since 1946
Gender
Gender distribution for Chrys
Chrys leans heavily female at 88.2% of total registrations, but 26 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Chrys as a male name
- Ranked #12,646 in 2017
- 5 male births in 2017
- Peak: 2011 (8 births)
Chrys as a female name
- Ranked #6,793 in 1973
- 7 female births in 1973
- Peak: 1953 (20 births)
Popularity
Chrys: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chrys from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 117 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chrys 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 Chrys during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chrys' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chrys
The name Chrys is derived from the Greek word "chrysos," meaning gold. It is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, where it was used as a name for both men and women.
In ancient Greek mythology, Chryses was the name of a priest of Apollo who played a role in the Iliad, an epic poem attributed to Homer. The name was also associated with the goddess Chryse, who was a personification of the golden light of the rising sun.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Chrys dates back to the 5th century BCE, when a Greek philosopher named Chrysippus lived. He was a influential Stoic philosopher and is considered one of the founders of the school of Stoic thought.
In the 4th century BCE, Chrysantas was a Spartan military leader and politician who played a significant role in the Corinthian War. He is remembered for his strategic military tactics and his efforts to maintain Spartan dominance in Greece.
During the Byzantine Empire, which lasted from the 4th to the 15th century CE, the name Chrysaphios was used. It was derived from the Greek words "chrysos" (gold) and "aphios" (shining). One notable figure with this name was Chrysaphios the Eunuch, who served as a high-ranking official and diplomat under Emperor Basil I in the 9th century.
In the 12th century, Chrysoberges was a prominent Byzantine noble and military leader. He played a crucial role in the wars against the Seljuk Turks and is remembered for his bravery and military prowess.
Chrysoloras, a scholar and teacher from the 14th century, was instrumental in the revival of Greek studies in Renaissance Europe. He taught Greek language and literature in various cities, including Florence and Pavia, and helped to spread the knowledge of ancient Greek texts among Western scholars.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Chrys or its variations, showcasing the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of this name.
People
Chrys + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chrys 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
Chrys: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chrys?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 166 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chrys 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 2,064,785 US residents.
Is Chrys a common name?
We classify Chrys as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 220 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chrys most popular?
The single biggest year for Chrys was 1953, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chrys is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chrys a female name?
Yes, 88.2% of people registered as Chrys in the SSA data are female. 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.