Chris
Chris was given to 431 boys in 2025, #646 among boys’ names; 170,417 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 134,000 Americans named Chris and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (79% of everyone recorded); the median is 60 years old and half are between 51 and 65.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Chris by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Chris mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Chris is “a diminutive of the male given names Christopher and (less commonly) Christian.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given name (along with other variant forms) Christina.”
/kɹɪs/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Chris?
#646 among boys’ names, 2025
Chris fell from #506 in 2015 to #646 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.30 to 0.25 per 1,000.
8,774 babies in 1961, the peak
Chris peaked in 1961, when 8,774 babies were given it (7,203 boys, #57 among boys’ names). The 431 births of 2025 are 5% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | under 5 | 431 | #646 | |
| 2024 | 7 | #12,429 | 424 | #651 |
| 2023 | 14 | #7,724 | 330 | #774 |
| 2022 | 6 | #13,969 | 408 | #668 |
| 2021 | 10 | #9,702 | 412 | #658 |
| 2020 | 9 | #10,442 | 382 | #676 |
| 2019 | under 5 | 490 | #570 | |
| 2018 | 6 | #14,175 | 440 | #612 |
| 2017 | 5 | #16,391 | 459 | #595 |
| 2016 | 6 | #14,718 | 514 | #560 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 8 | #12,073 | 569 | #506 |
| 2014 | 7 | #13,364 | 539 | #520 |
| 2013 | 11 | #9,742 | 624 | #455 |
| 2012 | 12 | #9,225 | 648 | #429 |
| 2011 | under 5 | 581 | #460 | |
| 2010 | 8 | #12,529 | 721 | #393 |
| 2009 | 10 | #10,853 | 861 | #358 |
| 2008 | 12 | #9,605 | 944 | #346 |
| 2007 | 16 | #7,807 | 909 | #349 |
| 2006 | 9 | #11,633 | 842 | #358 |
| 2005 | 9 | #11,100 | 723 | #396 |
| 2004 | 10 | #10,059 | 676 | #395 |
| 2003 | 14 | #7,673 | 678 | #388 |
| 2002 | 15 | #7,122 | 692 | #378 |
| 2001 | 20 | #5,616 | 695 | #377 |
| 2000 | 20 | #5,528 | 651 | #391 |
| 1999 | 15 | #6,557 | 623 | #396 |
| 1998 | 16 | #6,119 | 599 | #408 |
| 1997 | 19 | #5,254 | 532 | #428 |
| 1996 | 29 | #3,734 | 552 | #414 |
| 1995 | 24 | #4,237 | 489 | #462 |
| 1994 | 28 | #3,804 | 442 | #483 |
| 1993 | 28 | #3,791 | 445 | #473 |
| 1992 | 24 | #4,259 | 462 | #469 |
| 1991 | 39 | #2,939 | 510 | #439 |
| 1990 | 30 | #3,533 | 489 | #447 |
| 1989 | 29 | #3,487 | 539 | #401 |
| 1988 | 44 | #2,448 | 497 | #401 |
| 1987 | 37 | #2,670 | 514 | #376 |
| 1986 | 56 | #1,959 | 537 | #351 |
| 1985 | 52 | #2,052 | 615 | #325 |
| 1984 | 58 | #1,838 | 626 | #312 |
| 1983 | 50 | #2,027 | 651 | #303 |
| 1982 | 84 | #1,438 | 713 | #287 |
| 1981 | 76 | #1,561 | 830 | #259 |
| 1980 | 104 | #1,250 | 991 | #234 |
| 1979 | 119 | #1,126 | 1,264 | #189 |
| 1978 | 129 | #1,051 | 1,339 | #174 |
| 1977 | 162 | #884 | 1,494 | #160 |
| 1976 | 188 | #765 | 1,597 | #154 |
| 1975 | 201 | #730 | 1,954 | #132 |
| 1974 | 204 | #712 | 2,279 | #116 |
| 1973 | 238 | #636 | 2,703 | #96 |
| 1972 | 277 | #584 | 3,472 | #82 |
| 1971 | 323 | #555 | 4,293 | #68 |
| 1970 | 458 | #460 | 4,460 | #63 |
| 1969 | 528 | #416 | 4,280 | #66 |
| 1968 | 668 | #341 | 4,249 | #64 |
| 1967 | 729 | #324 | 4,618 | #60 |
| 1966 | 860 | #293 | 5,257 | #55 |
| 1965 | 1,089 | #262 | 5,479 | #60 |
| 1964 | 1,377 | #233 | 5,639 | #65 |
| 1963 | 1,424 | #231 | 6,328 | #59 |
| 1962 | 1,519 | #218 | 6,791 | #60 |
| 1961 | 1,571 | #215 | 7,203 | #57 |
| 1960 | 1,509 | #219 | 6,494 | #63 |
| 1959 | 1,409 | #225 | 5,676 | #72 |
| 1958 | 1,340 | #227 | 4,457 | #93 |
| 1957 | 1,021 | #273 | 3,249 | #120 |
| 1956 | 613 | #351 | 2,533 | #128 |
| 1955 | 453 | #415 | 2,193 | #139 |
| 1954 | 374 | #456 | 1,801 | #159 |
| 1953 | 334 | #465 | 1,579 | #168 |
| 1952 | 327 | #465 | 1,687 | #160 |
| 1951 | 278 | #490 | 1,473 | #173 |
| 1950 | 219 | #561 | 1,249 | #178 |
| 1949 | 241 | #531 | 1,389 | #168 |
| 1948 | 329 | #436 | 1,286 | #172 |
| 1947 | 322 | #456 | 1,116 | #185 |
| 1946 | 202 | #559 | 827 | #209 |
| 1945 | 129 | #643 | 551 | #242 |
| 1944 | 106 | #740 | 529 | #253 |
| 1943 | 102 | #768 | 447 | #292 |
| 1942 | 70 | #936 | 383 | #313 |
| 1941 | 43 | #1,136 | 321 | #327 |
| 1940 | 32 | #1,318 | 317 | #314 |
| 1939 | 30 | #1,352 | 246 | #357 |
| 1938 | 26 | #1,483 | 228 | #373 |
| 1937 | 26 | #1,457 | 196 | #398 |
| 1936 | 20 | #1,698 | 190 | #400 |
| 1935 | 19 | #1,794 | 182 | #404 |
| 1934 | 14 | #2,205 | 181 | #416 |
| 1933 | 17 | #1,918 | 142 | #470 |
| 1932 | 22 | #1,634 | 208 | #389 |
| 1931 | 15 | #2,123 | 154 | #455 |
| 1930 | 14 | #2,325 | 172 | #452 |
| 1929 | 16 | #2,109 | 171 | #452 |
| 1928 | 20 | #1,911 | 164 | #476 |
| 1927 | 15 | #2,351 | 153 | #491 |
| 1926 | 13 | #2,589 | 168 | #463 |
| 1925 | 7 | #4,092 | 182 | #445 |
| 1924 | 14 | #2,543 | 178 | #459 |
| 1923 | 14 | #2,487 | 155 | #494 |
| 1922 | 12 | #2,804 | 169 | #474 |
| 1921 | 6 | #4,571 | 147 | #510 |
| 1920 | 11 | #2,931 | 180 | #452 |
| 1919 | 7 | #3,894 | 128 | #526 |
| 1918 | under 5 | 179 | #445 | |
| 1917 | 6 | #4,184 | 145 | #477 |
| 1916 | under 5 | 148 | #471 | |
| 1915 | under 5 | 145 | #456 | |
| 1914 | 8 | #2,674 | 126 | #428 |
| 1913 | under 5 | 81 | #483 | |
| 1912 | under 5 | 76 | #451 | |
| 1911 | under 5 | 43 | #446 | |
| 1910 | under 5 | 32 | #493 | |
| 1909 | under 5 | 48 | #334 | |
| 1908 | under 5 | 37 | #384 | |
| 1907 | under 5 | 29 | #429 | |
| 1906 | under 5 | 30 | #395 | |
| 1905 | under 5 | 25 | #432 | |
| 1904 | under 5 | 27 | #401 | |
| 1903 | under 5 | 35 | #318 | |
| 1902 | under 5 | 37 | #321 | |
| 1901 | under 5 | 26 | #361 | |
| 1900 | under 5 | 45 | #313 | |
| 1899 | under 5 | 36 | #291 | |
| 1898 | under 5 | 33 | #335 | |
| 1897 | under 5 | 35 | #311 | |
| 1896 | under 5 | 53 | #250 | |
| 1895 | under 5 | 41 | #276 | |
| 1894 | under 5 | 45 | #260 | |
| 1893 | under 5 | 40 | #276 | |
| 1892 | under 5 | 49 | #253 | |
| 1891 | under 5 | 32 | #291 | |
| 1890 | under 5 | 32 | #302 | |
| 1889 | under 5 | 42 | #253 | |
| 1888 | under 5 | 59 | #229 | |
| 1887 | under 5 | 46 | #239 | |
| 1886 | under 5 | 62 | #214 | |
| 1885 | under 5 | 50 | #233 | |
| 1884 | under 5 | 57 | #219 | |
| 1883 | under 5 | 47 | #229 | |
| 1882 | under 5 | 39 | #273 | |
| 1881 | under 5 | 52 | #211 | |
| 1880 | under 5 | 49 | #236 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Chris a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 170,417 Americans recorded as Chris, 13% are girls and 87% boys. In 2025 it went to 431 boys; SSA lists no girls with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Chris: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Chris, and how old are they?
134,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 79% of the 170,417 Americans ever recorded as Chris. The median Chris alive today is 60 years old; half are between 51 and 65.
The 2020 Census counted 366,260 people named Chris (20,579 women and girls, 345,681 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 140,799 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2.6 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census records the name people give, which for many is the short form Chris rather than the name on their birth record, and it counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,520 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 57,400 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 48,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 9,110 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 11,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 6,070 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Chris born?
The states with the most babies named Chris are California, Texas and New York, with 28% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 21,899 | #616 | 1.4× |
| Texas | 12,730 | #732 | 1.1× |
| New York | 10,689 | #408 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 8,617 | #956 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 8,174 | #1,046 | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 7,879 | #845 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 6,649 | #493 | 0.7× |
| Indiana | 5,095 | #435 | 1.1× |
| Florida | 4,684 | #284 | 0.9× |
| Missouri | 4,488 | #660 | 1.1× |
Where Chris is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Chris is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Chris with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 171,095 babies since 1880, Chris is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 431 of their 436 babies (99%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Chris
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Chris and names like it
- Compare Chris and ChrissBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1960sChris peaked in 1961.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Chris since 1910.
- The top names of 1961The year the most babies were named Chris.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Chris alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with CMost given first.