Unisex name ★ peaked 1961

Chris

Gender Unisex · 13% girls Rank 2025 #646 Trend → Stable

A diminutive of the male given names Christopher and Christian.

Rank 2025
#646
among boys · ↑5 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
431
named Chris
How common
1 in 3,963
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1961
8,774 babies
All-time total
170,417
#232 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Chris popularity over time

170,417 babies have been named Chris since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 503 503 50 – #211
1890s – 396 396 40 -21% #250
1900s – 339 339 34 -14% #313
1910s 21 1,103 1,124 112 +232% #428
1920s 128 1,667 1,795 180 +60% #445
1930s 203 1,899 2,102 210 +17% #357
1940s 1,576 7,166 8,742 874 +316% #168
1950s 6,368 25,897 32,265 3,227 +269% #72
1960s 11,274 56,338 67,612 6,761 +110% #55
1970s 2,299 24,855 27,154 2,715 -60% #63
1980s 590 6,513 7,103 710 -74% #234
1990s 252 5,143 5,395 540 -24% #396
2000s 135 7,671 7,806 781 +45% #346
2010s 63 5,585 5,648 565 -28% #393
2020s (to 2025) 46 2,387 2,433 406 -28% #646

Where Chris is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 428 0.25 outside top 500
2027 426 0.25 outside top 500
2028 424 0.25 outside top 500
2029 422 0.25 outside top 500
2030 421 0.25 outside top 500

Where Chris is most popular

Boys named Chris per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.232 per 1,000. Strongest in Florida, Massachusetts, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Chris born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Florida 249 0.526 +127%
Massachusetts 61 0.444 +91%
New York 182 0.420 +81%
New Jersey 79 0.392 +69%
Maryland 45 0.377 +63%
Indiana 56 0.349 +50%
Kentucky 33 0.329 +42%
California 269 0.294 +27%
Pennsylvania 74 0.279 +20%
Texas 243 0.276 +19%
Iowa 18 0.261 +12%
Georgia 54 0.213 -8%
Louisiana 21 0.205 -12%
Virginia 38 0.200 -14%
South Carolina 20 0.194 -17%
Tennessee 34 0.188 -19%
North Carolina 47 0.184 -21%
Missouri 25 0.180 -22%
Illinois 43 0.168 -28%
Arizona 27 0.165 -29%
Oklahoma 14 0.158 -32%
Washington 25 0.153 -34%
Ohio 40 0.151 -35%
Oregon 11 0.145 -38%
Michigan 29 0.142 -39%
Nevada 7 0.123 -47%
Connecticut 6 0.089 -62%
Colorado 11 0.085 -63%
Kansas 5 0.073 -69%
Alabama 6 0.055 -76%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -82%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Chris

Chris is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #646 in 2025 with 431 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 170,417 American babies have been named Chris, about 87% boys and 13% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1961, when 8,774 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Chris stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Chris?

The median living Chris is about 59 years old; half are between 50 and 65. An estimated 140 thousand people named Chris are alive in the United States today.

median 59 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Chris year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 431 #646
2024 7 #12,434 424 #651
2023 14 #7,729 330 #774
2022 6 #13,974 408 #668
2021 10 #9,707 412 #658
2020 9 #10,447 382 #676
2019 – – 490 #570
2018 6 #14,180 440 #612
2017 5 #16,396 459 #595
2016 6 #14,723 514 #560
2015 8 #12,078 569 #506
2014 7 #13,370 539 #520
2013 11 #9,747 624 #455
2012 12 #9,230 648 #429
2011 – – 581 #460
2010 8 #12,535 721 #393
2009 10 #10,858 861 #358
2008 12 #9,609 944 #346
2007 16 #7,811 909 #349
2006 9 #11,638 842 #358
2005 9 #11,106 723 #396
2004 10 #10,064 676 #395
2003 14 #7,678 678 #388
2002 15 #7,128 692 #378
2001 20 #5,621 695 #377
2000 20 #5,533 651 #391
1995 24 #4,242 489 #462
1990 30 #3,538 489 #448
1985 52 #2,053 615 #325
1980 104 #1,250 991 #234
1975 201 #730 1,954 #132
1970 458 #460 4,460 #63
1965 1,089 #262 5,479 #60
1960 1,509 #219 6,494 #63
1955 453 #416 2,193 #139
1950 219 #562 1,249 #178
1945 129 #643 551 #242
1940 32 #1,318 317 #314
1935 19 #1,794 182 #404
1930 14 #2,326 172 #452
1925 7 #4,093 182 #445
1920 11 #2,931 180 #452
1915 – – 145 #456
1910 – – 32 #493
1905 – – 25 #432
1900 – – 45 #313
1895 – – 41 #276
1890 – – 32 #302
1885 – – 50 #233
1880 – – 49 #236

Famous people named Chris

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Chris Pratt Chris Pratt American actor (born 1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Chris Hemsworth Chris Hemsworth Australian actor (born 1983) Contemporary
  3. 3 Chris Cornell Chris Cornell American musician (1964–2017) Contemporary
  4. 4 Chris Evans Chris Evans American actor (born 1981) Contemporary
  5. 5 Chris Martin Chris Martin English singer-songwriter (born 1977) Contemporary
  6. 6 Chris Brown Chris Brown American singer (born 1989) Contemporary
  7. 7 Chris Kyle Chris Kyle American sniper (1974–2013) Contemporary
  8. 8 Chris Rea Chris Rea English musician and producer (1951–2025) Contemporary
  9. 9 Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Canadian professional wrestler (1967–2007) Contemporary
  10. 10 Chris Pine Chris Pine American actor (born 1980) Contemporary
  11. 11 Chris Penn Chris Penn American actor (1965–2006) Contemporary
  12. 12 Chris O'Donnell Chris O'Donnell American actor (born 1970) Contemporary
  13. 13 Chris Tucker Chris Tucker American actor and comedian (born 1971) Contemporary
  14. 14 Chris Evert Chris Evert American former tennis player (born 1954) Contemporary
  15. 15 Chris Rock Chris Rock American comedian, actor, and filmmaker (born 1965) Contemporary
  16. 16 Chris Columbus Chris Columbus American filmmaker (born 1958) Contemporary
  17. 17 Chris Sarandon Chris Sarandon American actor (born 1942) Contemporary
  18. 18 Chris McCandless Chris McCandless American hiker and explorer (1968–1992) Contemporary
  19. 19 Chris Isaak Chris Isaak American rock musician (born 1956) Contemporary
  20. 20 Chris Noth Chris Noth American actor (born 1954) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Chris, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Chris?

The median living Chris is about 59 years old. Half of all living Chriss are between 50 and 65 years old.

How many people named Chris are alive today?

An estimated 140 thousand people named Chris are alive in the United States, based on 170,417 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Chris mean?

A diminutive of the male given names Christopher and Christian.

How popular is the name Chris in 2025?

Chris ranked #646 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 431 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Chris?

170,417 babies have been named Chris in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Chris most popular?

Chris peaked in 1961, when 8,774 newborns received the name.

Is Chris a boy or girl name?

Chris is used for both: about 13% of babies named Chris have been girls and 87% boys.

Is the name Chris rising or falling?

Chris is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Chris become more popular?

Chris looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 421 boys named Chris in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Chris?

Well-known people named Chris include Chris Pratt (actor), Chris Hemsworth (actor), Chris Cornell (singer).

Names like Chris

Names that sound and feel close to Chris: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Chris with similar names → More names starting with C →