Boy name · Greek
Christian
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: follower of ChristChristian is a boy's name that comes from Greek and means "follower of Christ". It is used in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Scandinavian.
- Meaning
- Follower of Christ
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #96 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Christian
As a boy's name, Christian comes from Greek and means "follower of Christ". It is used in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Scandinavian.
In French, say krees-TYAHN. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Christian is also a surname: the 651st most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 50,934 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Christian on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Christian on 3 lists.
“Simply means a follower of Christ”
From Priest names, priestly names from Latin, Greek and Hebrew
“Follower of Christ; Greek. Say krees-TYAHN”
From French boy names, retro French male names from the 1950s to the 1970s
“Follower of Christ; Latin, from Greek. Say KREES-tyahn”
From Italian boy names, italian boy names that work in English
How popular is Christian?
- US rank in 2025
- #96
- 3,641 babies, 2,132 per million boys
- Best rank
- #21 in 2006
- Most babies: 16,059 in 2000
- Babies since 1880
- At least 453,968
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 444 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 354 per million |
| 1900s | 236 per million |
| 1910s | 168 per million |
| 1920s | 110 per million |
| 1930s | 83 per million |
| 1940s | 103 per million |
| 1950s | 179 per million |
| 1960s | 530 per million |
| 1970s | 1,508 per million |
| 1980s | 1,641 per million |
| 1990s | 6,472 per million |
| 2000s | 7,136 per million |
| 2010s | 4,478 per million |
| 2020s | 2,538 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #46 | #52 | #54 | #57 | #62 | #71 | #73 | #77 | #77 | #96 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Christian
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- CristianFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
- CristianoFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ChristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- ChristineFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- CristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- ChrissieFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- ChristianeFollower of Christ (Latin, girl)
- KerstinFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- KirstieFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- KirstinFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- KirstyFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- KristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
Middle names for Christian
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Greek
- AlexanderDefender of men (Greek, boy)
- LucasMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- LeonA lion (Greek, boy)
- HectorHolding fast (Greek, boy)
- TheoGift of God (Greek, boy)
- AlexisHelper, defender (Greek, boy)
- LucaMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- PeterRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- SebastianMan of sebaste, venerable (Greek, boy)
- AlexDefender, protector (Greek, unisex)
Christian: common questions
What does the name Christian mean?
Christian comes from Greek and means "follower of Christ".
Is Christian a boy or girl name?
Christian is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 27 girls and 3,641 boys in the US were named Christian, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Christian come from?
Christian comes from Greek and means "follower of Christ". Today it is used in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Scandinavian.
How popular is the name Christian?
Christian ranked #96 in the US in 2025, with 3,641 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Christian?
Forms of Christian with the same meaning and origin include Cristian (Spanish) and Cristiano (Italian).
What middle names go with Christian?
Middle names that flow well with Christian include Dale, Eli, Hugh, Jack and Jonah. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.