Given name & surname
Kris
“a follower of Christ”·“follower of Christ”·“one who bears Christ inside”
Kris is a variant of Kristopher. One Scandinavian interpretation is “a follower of Christ.” In English use, Kris is a diminutive of Christina. One English interpretation is “follower of Christ.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Kris is a variant of Kristopher. One Scandinavian interpretation is “a follower of Christ.” In English use, Kris is a diminutive of Christina. One English interpretation is “follower of Christ.” In English use, Kris is a diminutive of Christopher. One Greek interpretation is “one who bears Christ inside.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Kris is a variant of Kristopher. An origin associated with Kristopher is Scandinavian. In English use, Kris is a diminutive of Christina. Christina has been associated with Latin and Middle English naming traditions. In English use, Kris is a diminutive of Christopher. An origin associated with Christopher is Greek.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Kris is a diminutive of Christopher. In English usage, Kris is a diminutive of Christina.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1937. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kris through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27,971
- 14,400 boys · 13,571 girls
- Most popular year
- 1965
- 1,387 babies
- 2025
- 45
- #3,218 for boys · #11,463 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −45%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 83% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 37 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,218 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 46.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 513 in 1962. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 33,727 as a first name in 2020; 256 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.
Kris’s family of names
In English usage, Kris is a diminutive of Christopher. In English usage, Kris has a related form in Chris. In English usage, Kris is a diminutive of Christina.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Christopherfull form · English
- Christianfull form · English
- Chrisvariant · English
- Christinafull form · English
- Kristophervariant
- Kristinafull form · English
- Kristenfull form · English
- Kristinefull form · English
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Kris
- Kris KristoffersonAmerican country singer, songwriter and actor (1936-2024)
- Kris JennerAmerican media personality, socialite, and businesswomanborn 1955
- Kris AllenAmerican musician and singer-songwriterborn 1985
- Kris BoydScottish association football player (born 1983)
- Kris HumphriesAmerican basketball player (born 1985)
- Kris MarshallEnglish actorborn 1973
- Kris PeetersFlemish minister presidentborn 1962
- Kris AquinoFilipina television and movie personalityborn 1971
- Kris DunnAmerican basketball player (born 1994)
Characters named Kris: Kris (Deltarune).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Kris, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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