Given name & surname · also Latin
Christian
“anointed”·“a follower of Christ”
Christian is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “anointed” (Latin) and “a follower of Christ” (Greek). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original GreekΧριστιανός
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “anointed” (Latin) and “a follower of Christ” (Greek). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
From Middle English Cristien, from Old French chrestien, from Latin Chrīstiānus, from Ancient Greek Χρῑστιᾱνός, built from English Christ + -ian.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Swedish use, Christian has a related form in Christer. The history of Christer gives this family its wider story. Christer was in use during the 15th century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Christian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 473,843
- 453,968 boys · 19,875 girls
- Most popular year
- 1996
- 16,544 babies
- 2025
- 3,668
- #96 for boys · #4,901 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −34%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 99% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,641 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 96 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 34.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16,059 in 2000. It also appeared in 27 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (560). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 415,787 as a first name in 2020; 50,934 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Christian’s family of names
In English usage, Christian has a diminutive in Chris. In Danish usage, Christian has a feminine form in Christine. Christian has a related form in Christina.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Christian has relatives in 41 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
62 related names in 41 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 43
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Cristianvariant · Portuguese, English
- Chrisdiminutive · English, German
- Christinavariant · Dutch
- Kristianvariant · Swedish, Norwegian Bokmål
- Cristianovariant · Portuguese, Italian
- Kristenvariant · Danish
- Krisdiminutive · English
- Christyvariant
Show 35 moreShow fewer
- Christosvariant
- Carstenvariant · Danish
- Christenvariant · Danish
- Christianovariant
- Xianvariant
- Cristyvariant
- Crisclipped form · English
- Christievariant
- Christanvariant
- Christiaanvariant · Dutch, Afrikaans
- Christiannlikely variant
- Christeldiminutive · German
- Krestenvariant · Danish
- Kristoshort form · Estonian, Albanian
- Christervariant · Swedish
- Christienvariant
- Chrystianvariant
- Cristosvariant
- Cristonvariant
- Cristinovariant
- Crystianvariant
- Cristenvariant
- Christovariant
- Christtianlikely variant
- Chrisstianlikely variant
- Chr.short form · Danish
- Кристијанvariant · Macedonian
- Христијанvariant · Macedonian
- Chanakdiminutive · ceb
- Chrillediminutive · Danish
- Chrestenvariant · Danish
- Cretienvariant
- Chretienvariant
- Chrestienvariant
- Xtianvariant
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 46
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΧριστιανόςGreek
- ΧριστιανήGreek
- Christinefeminine form · Danish
- CristinaRomanian
- Kariborrowing · Greenlandic
- Christianafeminine form
- Khristianequivalent
- KarstenDutch, German
Show 38 moreShow fewer
- KrystianPolish
- Cristderivative · English
- CristiRomanian, rup
- Christiannefeminine form · English
- KristjanEstonian
- KristijanSlovene, Croatian
- KristianoEsperanto
- KristainBasque
- Chrétienequivalent
- Chrequivalent
- ખ્રિસ્તીequivalent
- Christiansen“son of” surname · Danish
- Кристианborrowing · Russian, Bulgarian
- ક્રિશ્ચિયનborrowing · Gujarati
- Kalistiaatborrowing · Greenlandic
- Kajistiaatborrowing · Greenlandic
- Garstderivative · English
- Kristiānscognate · Latvian
- KřišťanCzech
- KristiánCzech, Slovak
- Lászlórelated form
- Christianusequivalent
- CristiánSpanish
- KristjánIcelandic
- KrišjānisLatvian
- CrìsdeanScottish Gaelic
- Кристиянrsk, Bulgarian
- KrisztiánHungarian
- RistoFinnish
- КрістіанUkrainian
- ХристиянUkrainian, Bulgarian
- ХристианRussian
- CreesteeManx
- KristijonasLithuanian
- KeresztélyHungarian
- CríosdaidhScottish Gaelic
- CristiàCatalan
- Cretindoublet · English
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Christian
- Theodor MommsenGerman classical scholar and historian (1817–1903)
- Christian BaleAmerican-English actor (born 1974)
- Christian Wulff10th German Federal Presidentborn 1959
- Christian DopplerAustrian mathematician and physicist (1803-1853)
- Christian DiorFrench fashion designer (1905–1957)
- Haakon VIIKing of Norway from 1905 to 1957 (1872–1957)
- Christian EriksenDanish association football playerborn 1992
- Christian de DuveBelgian biochemist, cytologist (1917–2013)
- Christian IV of Denmarkking of Denmark and Norway (1577–1648)
Characters named Christian: Christian Shephard (fictional character of the TV series Lost).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Christian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Austin
“one who is venerable; majestic” · “venerable; majestic”
97% boys · 3% girls
Christopher
“one who bears Christ inside”
>99% boys
Dorian
“of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians”
97% boys · 3% girls
Nicholas
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Adrian
“man from Hadria” · “a man from Hadria”
99% boys · 1% girls
Antonio
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% boys
Sergio
“an attendant; a servant”
>99% boys
Justin
“one who is just and upright”
>99% boys