2000
#1,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.52
Uncommon Last name
Christie
A surname of Scottish and Greek origin, referring to a Christian or follower of Christ.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,193 Americans carry the last name Christie. That puts it at #2,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,974 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Christie surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Christie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,974
Census rank
#2,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,609 bearers of the surname Christie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Christie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Christie
The surname Christie has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the Scottish Gaelic personal name Gillacrist, which means "servant of Christ." Initially, the name appeared in various spellings such as Cristy, Cristi, and Cristie.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where a certain William Cristy from Fife is mentioned. Another notable early record is the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which lists a Robert Cristi.
The name Christie is closely associated with the Scottish village of Balquhidder, located in the Trossachs region of Stirlingshire. The village was home to several families bearing this surname, including the Christies of Glendochart, who were prominent landowners in the area during the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of this name was Richard Christie (1528-1594), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1589. Another prominent figure was Thomas Christie (1761-1796), a Scottish writer and philosopher who published works on political philosophy and economics.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several influential Christie families in Scotland, such as the Christies of Craigston in Aberdeenshire and the Christies of Durie in Fife. During this period, the name also spread to other parts of the British Isles, including England and Ireland.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Christie was Agatha Christie (1890-1976), the renowned English mystery novelist and playwright who is widely regarded as the "Queen of Mystery." Her works, including classics like "Murder on the Orient Express" and "And Then There Were None," have sold billions of copies worldwide.
Other notable figures with the surname Christie include John Christie (1786-1876), a Scottish botanist and horticulturist who introduced numerous plant species to Britain, and Samuel Hunter Christie (1784-1865), a British mathematician and lawyer who made significant contributions to the fields of actuarial science and life insurance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Christie
Among Census respondents with the surname Christie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Christie bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Christie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 13,124
- Black or African American14.3% · 2,511
- Two or more races3.9% · 682
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 658
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 353
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 281
Timeline
Historical Census data for Christie
Christie appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,681
+1,099 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 6.33
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#2,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,609
-1,072 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 5.89
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,874 | 17,582 | 6.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,931 | 18,681 | 6.33 | +1,099 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #2,006 | 17,609 | 5.89 | -1,072 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 75 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Christie surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,931 | #2,006 | -3.9% |
| Count | 18,681 | 17,609 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.33 | 5.89 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Christie bearers went from 18,681 to 17,609 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,931 to #2,006.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Christie
FAQ
Christie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Christie?
Name Census estimates that about 20,193 living Americans carry the surname Christie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,974 residents.
How common is Christie?
Christie ranks #2,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,609 people with the surname Christie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,193), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Christie.
Has Christie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Christie went from 18,681 recorded bearers to 17,609. That is a decrease of 1,072 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,931 to #2,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Christie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Christie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Christie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (13,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Christie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Christie (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Christie mean?
A surname of Scottish and Greek origin, referring to a Christian or follower of Christ. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Christie (5.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Christie?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Christie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.