Boy name · Greek
Christopher
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: bearer of ChristChristopher is a boy's name that comes from Greek and means "bearer of Christ". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Bearer of Christ
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #68 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Christopher
As a boy's name, Christopher comes from Greek and means "bearer of Christ". It is used in English.
Christopher is also a surname: the 1,369th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 25,312 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Christopher on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Christopher on 2 lists.
“Bearer of Christ; Greek. Long middle for a one-syllable first name”
From Boy middle names, classic boy middle names
“Bearer of Christ; Greek. Patron saint of travelers”
From Classic boy names, timeless boy names
How popular is Christopher?
- US rank in 2025
- #68
- 4,748 babies, 2,780 per million boys
- Best rank
- #2 in 1972
- Most babies: 60,021 in 1984
- Babies since 1880
- At least 2,069,596
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 687 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 585 per million |
| 1900s | 357 per million |
| 1910s | 294 per million |
| 1920s | 260 per million |
| 1930s | 258 per million |
| 1940s | 1,066 per million |
| 1950s | 3,875 per million |
| 1960s | 12,311 per million |
| 1970s | 28,785 per million |
| 1980s | 30,059 per million |
| 1990s | 18,495 per million |
| 2000s | 10,189 per million |
| 2010s | 5,433 per million |
| 2020s | 3,155 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #36 | #39 | #42 | #44 | #47 | #52 | #55 | #55 | #61 | #68 |
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.
Nicknames for Christopher
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Chriscommon English nickname
- Kitcommon English nickname
- Tophercommon English nickname
Other forms of Christopher
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- ChristoforosBearer of Christ (Greek, boy)
- ChristophBearer of Christ (Greek, boy)
- ChristopheBearer of Christ (Greek, boy)
- CríostóirBearer of Christ (Greek, boy)
- CristóbalBearer of Christ (Greek, boy)
- CristoforoBearer of Christ (Greek, boy)
- KristofferBearer of Christ (Greek, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ChristianFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
- 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)
- CristianoFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
- 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)
- CairistìonaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- ChristaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- ChristelFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
Middle names for Christopher
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)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- CyrilLordly (Greek, boy)
- FilipLover of horses (Greek, boy)
- KlausVictory of the people (Greek, boy)
- LinusFlax plant (Greek, boy)
- NarcisoNarcissus flower (Greek, boy)
- NicoVictory of the people (Greek, boy)
- StefanCrown, garland (Greek, boy)
Christopher: common questions
What does the name Christopher mean?
Christopher comes from Greek and means "bearer of Christ". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Christopher a boy or girl name?
Christopher is mainly a boy's name.
What are nicknames for Christopher?
Common nicknames for Christopher include Chris, Kit and Topher.
How popular is the name Christopher?
Christopher ranked #68 in the US in 2025, with 4,748 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Christopher?
Forms of Christopher with the same meaning and origin include Christoforos (Greek), Christoph (German), Christophe (French), Críostóir (Irish) and Cristóbal (Spanish).
What middle names go with Christopher?
Middle names that flow well with Christopher include Alton, Heath, Henry, Hugh and Isaac. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.