Unisex name · since 1937
Kris
14,400 babies named Kris in U.S. Social Security records since 1937, with the highest year being 1962. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #993 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,197 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 14,400
- born since 1937
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kris is the #3197 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 14,400 recorded since 1937.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kris has been recorded 14,400 times among boys since 1937, currently ranked #3197 nationally and more common than 77% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1937 to 2025.
- #993 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,197 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 14,400 born since 1937
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kris ranks #993 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,197 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 14,400 born since 1937, peaking in the 1960s.
- #993 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,197 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 14,400
- born since 1937
- 1960s
- peak decade
Kris's 14,400 recorded births place it above 97.81% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kris compares
14,400 Top 8% higher than 92% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Kris's all-time total is 39x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kris | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 14,400 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 513 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kris's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kris's full recorded timeline at 1982, 22% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 78% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1937, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1962 peak of 513 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kris popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1937–2025
- Peak year (1962)
- 513
- Annual births at peak, across 89 years of records
Kris popularity over time - girls
13,571 total births recorded since 1940 (Kris as girls' name)
Kris by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (4,152 births, 29% of the file).
1960s was Kris's strongest decade.
4,152 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Kris births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s 422
1940s
422 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,634 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,152 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,681 births
- 1980s 1,184
1980s
1,184 births
- 1990s 667
1990s
667 births
- 2000s 748
2000s
748 births
- 2010s 646
2010s
646 births
- 2020s 255
2020s
255 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 4,152 births (29% of all-time use).
How Kris compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Kris's total volume
Kris by state
Where Kris concentrates geographically, total births since 1937
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,775 | 12.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 923 | 6.4% |
| #3 | Texas | | 889 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 801 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 635 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 593 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 541 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 409 | 2.8% |
1,775 of 14,400 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Kris appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kris? ▼
Where does Kris sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kris most popular? ▼
Where is Kris most popular? ▼
Is Kris a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Kris been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kris? ▼
What to do with Kris's data
- Kris's decade-level peak was the 1960s (4,152 total births); usage has since declined to 255 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kriss (1,775 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 Kris
Nearby Names Like Kris
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kris
Compare Kris side by side: Kris vs Kristopher Kris vs Kristian Kris vs Kristofer
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kris
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kris: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1962)
Similar record span (~88 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, 1937–2025 (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 Kris 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.