Kristophor
A masculine name derived from the Greek "Christophoros", meaning "bearer of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Kristophor. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kristophor today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kristophor births was 1977 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kristophor. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kristophor. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1977
6 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1983 SSA rank
#6,830
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Kristophor: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kristophor from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kristophor 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 Kristophor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kristophor
The name Kristophor originates from the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek words "Christos" meaning "anointed" and "pherein" meaning "to bear or carry." The name can be translated to mean "bearer of Christ" or "Christ-bearer."
The earliest known historical reference to the name appears in the New Testament of the Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This apostle, known as Saint Christopher, was a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD and was venerated as the patron saint of travelers and transporters.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kristophor gained popularity across Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian influences. In England, the name was commonly spelled as Christopher, and several notable figures bore this name, including Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer who discovered America in 1492, and Christopher Marlowe, the renowned English playwright and poet who lived from 1564 to 1593.
In the 16th century, the name Kristophor was also popular in Germany, where it was often spelled as Christoph. One notable figure with this name was Christoph Willibald Gluck, the German composer who lived from 1714 to 1787 and is considered one of the pioneers of opera reform.
Moving further into history, the name Kristophor has been borne by several other prominent individuals, including Kristopher Kolumbus, the Polish astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1516 to 1545, and Kristophor Willibald von Gluck, the German composer and opera reformer who lived from 1714 to 1787.
Throughout the centuries, the name Kristophor has undergone various spelling variations, such as Christopher, Cristoforo, Christoph, and Kristoffer, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions. However, the core meaning and significance of the name as a "bearer of Christ" have remained consistent across these variations.
People
Kristophor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kristophor as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kristophor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kristophor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kristophor 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Kristophor a common name?
We classify Kristophor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kristophor most popular?
The single biggest year for Kristophor was 1977, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kristophor is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kristophor in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kristophor a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kristophor 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.
Is Kristophor still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kristophor in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kristophor can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Kristophor as a first name?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Kristophor at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.