Girls' name · since 1912
Christel
Since 1912, U.S. Social Security records show 3,712 babies named Christel, peaking in 1978. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #3,134 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 3,712
- born since 1912
- 1970s
- peak decade
3,712 girls have been named Christel since 1912, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Christel has 3,712 recorded births among girls since 1912, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2024.
- #3,134 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 3,712 born since 1912
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Christel ranks #3,134 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 3,712 born since 1912, peaking in the 1970s.
- #3,134 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 3,712
- born since 1912
- 1970s
- peak decade
Christel's 3,712 recorded births place it above 95.66% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
27 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Christel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Christel's full recorded timeline at 1972, 64% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 36% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1912, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1978 peak of 202 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Christel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2024
- Peak year (1978)
- 202
- Annual births at peak, across 113 years of records
Christel by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (1,542 births, 42% of the file).
1970s was Christel's strongest decade.
1,542 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Christel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 26
1910s
26 births
- 1920s 38
1920s
38 births
- 1930s 75
1930s
75 births
- 1940s 88
1940s
88 births
- 1950s 285
1950s
285 births
- 1960s 539
1960s
539 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,542 births
- 1980s 585
1980s
585 births
- 1990s 227
1990s
227 births
- 2000s 162
2000s
162 births
- 2010s 101
2010s
101 births
- 2020s 44
2020s
44 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 1,542 births (42% of all-time use).
How Christel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Christel's total volume
Christel by state
Where Christel concentrates geographically, total births since 1912
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 255 | 6.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 156 | 4.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 143 | 3.9% |
| #4 | New York | | 136 | 3.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 100 | 2.7% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 90 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 79 | 2.1% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 69 | 1.9% |
255 of 3,712 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.
Christel appears in 27 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Christel? ▼
Where does Christel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Christel most popular? ▼
Where is Christel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Christel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Christel? ▼
What to do with Christel's data
- Christel's decade-level peak was the 1970s (1,542 total births); usage has since declined to 44 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Christels (255 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Christel
Nearby Names Like Christel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Christel
Compare Christel side by side: Christel vs Christine Christel vs Christina Christel vs Christy
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Christel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1978)
Similar record span (~112 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1912–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Christel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.