Chris

Did you know?

A few things about Chris you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Chris

Chris Cornell

American musician (1964–2017)

Choose Chris and your child shares a first name with Chris Cornell, an American musician. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Chris, like who?” Chris Cornell's Wikipedia article is available in 61 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Chris Cornell on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Matthew Straubmuller, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,964 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Chris, 431 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Chris would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryChris has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Chriss, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1966, when it ranked #55. Today it's #646, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendChris has climbed 30 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #646. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedChris is most popular in Florida, where it ranks #284, followed by Kentucky (#345) and Nevada (#389). It's in the top 1,000 in 21 states.
• 💬MeaningChris is an English form of Christopher, which means “bearer of Christ”.

About the name Chris

Chris is a boy name of Greek origin meaning “bearer of Christ”. It has 5 letters and 1 syllable, starting with C and ending in “-ris”. US birth records list Chris for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked #55 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #646, with 431 babies.

Origin:Greek names