Unisex name · since 1910
Christen
11,521 babies named Christen in U.S. Social Security records since 1910, with the highest year being 1982. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,525 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #9,497 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 11,521
- born since 1910
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Christen is the #9497 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 11,521 recorded since 1910.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Christen has been recorded 11,521 times among girls since 1910, currently ranked #9497 nationally and more common than 45% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1910 to 2025.
- #1,525 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #9,497 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 11,521 born since 1910
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Christen ranks #1,525 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,497 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 11,521 born since 1910, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1,525 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #9,497 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 11,521
- born since 1910
- 1980s
- peak decade
Christen's 11,521 recorded births place it above 97.89% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Christen compares
11,521 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Christen's all-time total is 31x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Christen | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,521 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 569 | 21 | 19,840 |
Christen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Christen's SSA record in two at 1973 and the more recent half accounts for 88% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 12%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1910, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1982 peak of 569, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Christen popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1910–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 569
- Annual births at peak, across 116 years of records
Christen popularity over time - boys
2,185 total births recorded since 1916 (Christen as boys' name)
Christen by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (4,749 births, 41% of the file).
1980s was Christen's strongest decade.
4,749 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Christen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 76
1910s
76 births
- 1920s 143
1920s
143 births
- 1930s 71
1930s
71 births
- 1940s 43
1940s
43 births
- 1950s 96
1950s
96 births
- 1960s 510
1960s
510 births
- 1970s 1,824
1970s
1,824 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,749 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,739 births
- 2000s 899
2000s
899 births
- 2010s 303
2010s
303 births
- 2020s 68
2020s
68 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 4,749 births (41% of all-time use).
How Christen 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 Christen's total volume
Christen by state
Where Christen concentrates geographically, total births since 1910
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 953 | 8.3% |
| #2 | California | | 903 | 7.8% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 524 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Florida | | 517 | 4.5% |
| #5 | New York | | 459 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 426 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 403 | 3.5% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 373 | 3.2% |
953 of 11,521 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Christen appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Christen? ▼
Where does Christen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Christen most popular? ▼
Where is Christen most popular? ▼
Is Christen a unisex name? ▼
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What names are similar to Christen? ▼
What to do with Christen's data
- Christen's decade-level peak was the 1980s (4,749 total births); usage has since declined to 68 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Christens (953 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Christen
Nearby Names Like Christen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Christen
Compare Christen side by side: Christen vs Christine Christen vs Christina Christen vs Christy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Christen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Christen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1982)
Similar record span (~115 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, 1910–2025 (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 Christen 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.