Boys' name · peaked in 1996
Christian name popularity since 1925
470,744 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Christian (4.2% girls, 95.8% boys). Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Christian is about 25 years old in 2026. Christian peaked in 1996 as the #24 name for boys, and it ranked #96 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 470,744
- Named Christian, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #96
- for boys in 2025 (3,641 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 95.8% boys
- 19,782 girls · 450,962 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 2.28× its national share
Peak year is the year Christian made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Christian births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2000. Measured as a share of all babies, Christian peaked in 1996.
- Fastest rise: Between 1965 and 1970, Christian became 3.6× more common, from 1 in 2,550 baby boys to 1 in 708.
- Steepest fall: Between 2016 and 2021, its share of baby boys fell by 34%, from 1 in 247 to 1 in 377.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Christian's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Christian.
Decade by decade
Babies named Christian in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 24 | 537 | – |
| 1930s | 20 | 876 | #725 |
| 1940s | 73 | 1,529 | #503 |
| 1950s | 155 | 3,623 | #385 |
| 1960s | 634 | 10,213 | #275 |
| 1970s | 2,001 | 24,902 | #103 |
| 1980s | 5,077 | 30,289 | #101 |
| 1990s | 7,519 | 126,065 | #28 |
| 2000s | 2,826 | 142,433 | #22 |
| 2010s | 1,209 | 84,198 | #43 |
| 2020–25 | 244 | 26,297 | #96 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
47.3% of babies named Christian from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Christian is most popular
The index compares Christian's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Christian.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 2.28× | 3,838 |
| Florida | 1.68× | 28,570 |
| Arizona | 1.55× | 9,458 |
| California | 1.53× | 76,117 |
| Hawaii | 1.38× | 2,031 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Christian and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Christian (this page) | 450,962 | 1996 |
| Cristian | 69,925 | 1996 |
| Khristian | 2,801 | 2013 |
| Christan | 1,578 | 2004 |
| Christion | 1,196 | 1998 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Christian's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Christian.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Christian (1996).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data