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Christian

kree-STYAHN /kriˈstjan/ Italian

At a glance

In short
Christian is a Latin name meaning follower of Christ.
U.S. rank 2025
#96 of boy names
Babies in 2025
3,641 (0.20% of boys)
Trend
Slipping #62 in 2020 #96 in 2025
Peak
#21 in 2006
Top state
#47 in Mississippi
First recorded
1880

Meaning of Christian

Christian comes from the Latin Christianus, meaning Christian or follower of Christ. The Latin word derives from Greek Christianos, built on Christos, anointed one, a translation of the Hebrew term for Messiah. Name dictionaries agree on this origin; the name was used in medieval Europe and has long been common in Christian cultures.

English speakers say KRIS-chən; Italian speakers say kree-STYAHN, German speakers KRIS-ti-an, and French speakers kris-TYAHN.

Its best-known literary association is Christian, the protagonist of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. Historically, it is the name of ten Danish kings, from Christian I to Christian X. Among notable namesakes, Christian Bale is an Academy Award-winning actor, and Christian Pulisic is an American soccer player for AC Milan and the U.S. national team.

In the United States, Christian ranked 96th in 2025, with 3,641 boys. Its highest count was 16,059 in 2000, and its best rank was 21st in 2006. The name rose sharply during the 1990s and has declined since the mid-2000s; by 2025 it had fallen well outside the top 50. It now sits far below its 1990s and early 2000s levels.

How to pronounce Christian

Italian

German

French

Popularity of Christian in the U.S.

Christian was the #96 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 3,641 babies. It peaked at #21 in 2006 and has been in the top 100 since 1986.

Bar and line chart: Christian in the U.S., 1880–2025. Bars: boys given the name each year, most 16,059 in 2000 and 3,641 in 2025. Line: rank among boy names, peak #21 in 2006, #96 in 2025.
  • Boys named Christian (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1880⁠–⁠2025 146 rows
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
20253,64196▼ 19
20244,27277–
20234,15877▼ 4
20224,48673▼ 2
20214,63671▼ 9
20205,10462▼ 5
20195,78157▼ 3
20186,58254▼ 2
20177,02552▼ 6
20167,67446▼ 3
20158,22043▼ 1
20148,48042▼ 7
20139,35235▼ 2
20129,64033▼ 3
201110,33430▼ 1
201011,11029▼ 6
200912,65723–
200813,06923▼ 1
200714,06322▼ 1
200614,48721▲ 1
200514,21022▲ 2
200413,92624▲ 1
200313,90825▼ 1
200214,59724–
200115,45724▼ 2
200016,05922▲ 3
199914,78325▲ 1
199814,52226▼ 1
199715,05925▼ 1
199615,82424▲ 4
199513,81328▲ 7
199411,98735–
199311,89135–
199211,95335▲ 13
19919,44748▲ 12
19906,78660▲ 18
19894,62578▲ 8
19883,93786▲ 4
19873,32490▼ 1
19863,21489▲ 12
19852,915101▲ 3
19842,726104▲ 8
19832,419112▲ 2
19822,576114▲ 7
19812,235121▼ 3
19802,318118▲ 2
19792,262120▼ 4
19782,208116–
19772,294116▼ 4
19762,268112▼ 9
19752,463103–
19742,490103▼ 6
19732,69397▼ 1
19722,96296▲ 26
19712,639122▲ 5
19702,623127▲ 13
19692,194140▲ 11
19681,780151▲ 35
19671,320186▲ 51
1966888237▲ 38
1965730275▲ 19
1964711294▲ 5
1963672299▲ 6
1962650305▲ 14
1961606319▼ 18
1960662301▲ 22
1959581323▲ 54
1958427377▲ 50
1957327427▼ 45
1956389382▲ 3
1955350385▼ 6
1954352379▼ 6
1953338373▲ 12
1952319385▲ 29
1951272414▼ 2
1950268412▲ 41
1949218453▲ 15
1948202468▲ 24
1947187492▼ 15
1946182477▲ 26
1945141503▲ 21
1944135524▲ 18
1943135542▲ 64
1942108606▼ 74
1941122532▲ 65
194099597▲ 4
193994601▼ 11
193899590▲ 47
193785637▼ 26
193691611▲ 114
193571725▼ 102
193492623▲ 45
193377668▼ 11
193286657▼ 24
193187633▼ 1
193094632▲ 1
192993633▼ 55
1928114578▲ 6
1927112584▲ 1
1926113585▲ 27
1925105612▼ 44
1924125568▲ 14
1923116582▼ 93
1922160489▲ 54
1921132543▼ 36
1920143507▲ 24
1919125531▼ 57
1918155474▼ 8
1917149466▼ 14
1916154452▼ 7
1915151445▼ 8
1914122437▲ 14
191391451▼ 47
191291404▲ 53
191141457▼ 27
191040430▲ 43
190929473▼ 21
190829452▼ 56
190732396▼ 33
190633363▲ 58
190526421▼ 53
190430368▼ 56
190336312▲ 25
190233337▼ 60
190138277▲ 98
190035375▼ 118
189942257▲ 93
189830350▼ 62
189739288▲ 24
189636312▼ 67
189553245▲ 33
189440278▲ 1
189339279–
189242279▼ 2
189134277▼ 40
189049237▼ 11
188951226▲ 17
188851243▼ 13
188747230▲ 68
188633298▼ 81
188555217▲ 14
188454231▼ 16
188350215▲ 23
188249238▼ 30
188153208▲ 44
188043252–

Christian by state

Christian ranks #47 in Mississippi (2025).

Map: Christian's 2025 rank among boy names in each U.S. state
Rank among boy names by state, 2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Rank by state 46 states and DC
StateRankBabies
Mississippi4745
Georgia64159
Texas68560
New Jersey71124
Connecticut7150
California73508
Maryland7671
Delaware7613
North Carolina77152
Nevada8335
South Carolina8559
Alaska859
Florida88240
Illinois88132
Arizona9292
New York94188
Rhode Island9711
Michigan9895
New Mexico9919
Louisiana10149
Hawaii1049
Pennsylvania114110
Tennessee11680
Washington11867
Idaho11821
Alabama12044
District of Columbia1207
Arkansas12628
Virginia12968
Massachusetts13054
Oklahoma13634
Kansas13628
West Virginia14014
Missouri14548
Colorado14948
Nebraska15018
Ohio15490
Oregon15427
Wisconsin15541
Kentucky16333
New Hampshire1698
Utah17032
North Dakota1707
Indiana17648
Iowa19121
Maine2066
Minnesota20831
U.S. territories
Puerto Rico1649

Notable people named Christian

  • English actor Christian Bale is renowned for transformative, versatile roles across genres, has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globes with four BAFTA nominations, and was among the highest paid in 2014.
  • Christian Pulisic is an American soccer star for AC Milan and the US national team, one of North America’s finest, nicknamed Captain America and renowned for his dribbling and playmaking.
  • Christian McCaffrey is an American NFL running back for the San Francisco 49ers who starred at Stanford, was drafted eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers in 2017, won AP College Football Player of the Year in 2015 as a Heisman finalist, and holds the NCAA season record for all purpose yards.
  • Christian Yelich is an American MLB outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, formerly with the Miami Marlins, who helped Team USA win its first World Baseball Classic title in 2017 and was named to the All World Baseball Classic Team.
  • Christian Wolff was a leading German philosopher between Leibniz and Kant who used a rigorous mathematical method across many fields, epitomizing Enlightenment rationalism.
More people named Christian 3 more
  • Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor who debuted in The Legend of Billie Jean in 1985 and gained fame for playing JD in the 1989 satire Heathers.
  • Christian Siriano is an American fashion designer who became the youngest Project Runway winner in 2007 and built a successful namesake label with multimillion dollar sales by 2012.
  • Christian Laettner is an American former basketball star who led Duke to back to back NCAA titles, won national player of the year, hit the iconic 1992 game winner against Kentucky, and became a famously polarizing figure among opposing fans.