FastNamesChristian
Latin and Greek name meaning "Derived from Latin Christianus, signifying 'follower of Christ' or 'belonging to Christ', from Greek Christos ('anointed one').". Ranked 96th for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Christian
Derived from Latin Christianus, signifying 'follower of Christ' or 'belonging to Christ', from Greek Christos ('anointed one').
Linguistically, Christian is classified under Latin and Greek naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "KRIS-chuhn".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Christian has been given to a total of 453,968 boys. It has also been given to 19,875 girls.
Peak year: Christian reached its highest relative share among boys in 1996, when 15,824 babies received the name (8,353 per million births).
All-time best rank: 21st place, first achieved in 2006.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 96th with 3,641 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 43rd (down 53 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Christian in the 2000s than in any other decade (142,433 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 486 |
| 1890s | 404 |
| 1900s | 321 |
| 1910s | 1,119 |
| 1920s | 1,213 |
| 1930s | 876 |
| 1940s | 1,529 |
| 1950s | 3,623 |
| 1960s | 10,213 |
| 1970s | 24,902 |
| 1980s | 30,289 |
| 1990s | 126,065 |
| 2000s | 142,433 |
| 2010s | 84,198 |
| 2020s | 26,297 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Christian is most common in the US
Accounting for when Christian was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Hawaii: 1.5 times the national rate (2,031 births since 1910).
- New Jersey: 1.4 times the national rate (16,740 births since 1910).
- District of Columbia: 1.3 times the national rate (1,912 births since 1910).
- Nevada: 1.3 times the national rate (3,828 births since 1910).
- Florida: 1.2 times the national rate (27,822 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Christian?
About 435,000 living American boys and men share the name Christian. Additionally, an estimated 19,000 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Christian is 24 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Christian
Christian traces directly to the Latin ecclesiastical noun and adjective Christianus, adapted from ancient Greek Christianos (Χριστιανός). The underlying root is the Greek verbal adjective Christos ('anointed'), which was employed in the Septuagint and New Testament to translate biblical Hebrew Mashiach (Messiah). The Book of Acts (11:26) records that disciples were first called Christians in Antioch in the first century AD.
In medieval Europe, Christian functioned widely as both a masculine and feminine baptismal name. In Scandinavia, it achieved immense royal stature, borne by ten monarchs of Denmark from Christian I in the fifteenth century to Christian X in the twentieth century. In the English literary tradition, the name was permanently elevated by John Bunyan's classic 1678 spiritual allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress, whose steadfast central protagonist journeys from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.
In American vital statistics, Christian has demonstrated enduring vitality across multiple generations. While holding steady as a familiar classic throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the name began a sharp upward trajectory in the 1970s. Christian entered the national top fifty in 1986 and peaked at rank 21 in 2006, driven by its blend of traditional faith heritage, smooth rhythm, and widespread international recognition.
Notable people named Christian
- Christian Bale (1974–), British-American Academy Award-winning actor
- Christian Dior (1905–1957), French fashion designer and founder of Dior
- Christian Doppler (1803–1853), Austrian physicist who discovered the Doppler effect
- Christian Pulisic (1998–), American professional soccer player
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 58.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 66.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.