Skip to content
BabyNames
Boy name#12 of boy names

Christopher

Pronounced K R IH1 S T AH0 F AO1 R (ARPABET)

  • 3 syllables
  • Peaked 1984
  • 145 years in use
  • 5 spellings
Compare

How popular is Christopher?

Christopher is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 2,159,299 children — the 12th most common boys' name on record.

It is falling away, down 55% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1984, when 62,393 children were given it.

Five other spellings are counted in that total — Kristopher, Kristofer, Cristofer and two more — because they are pronounced identically.

025,00050,00075,000100,00018901920195019802010
1984Boys: 62,393Girls: 409

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Christopher and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Kristopher
  • Kristofer
  • Cristofer
  • Christofer
  • Kristofor

Nicknames

Common short forms: Chris.

Characteristics

  • 3 syllables
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
K R IH1 S T AH0 F AO1 R · K R IH1 S T AH0 F EH1 R · K R IH1 S T AH0 F ER0 · K R IH1 S T AH0 F ER1 · K R IH1 S T AH0 F R ER0 · K R IH1 S T IH0 F AO1 R · K R IH1 S T IH0 F EH1 R · K R IH1 S T IH0 F ER0 · K R IH1 S T IH0 F ER1 · K R IH1 S T IH0 F R ER0 · K R IH1 S T UW1 F AO1 R · K R IH1 S T UW1 F EH1 R · K R IH1 S T UW1 F ER0 · K R IH1 S T UW1 F ER1 · K R IH1 S T UW1 F R ER0
Stress pattern:
101 · 101 · 100 · 101 · 100 · 101 · 101 · 100 · 101 · 100 · 111 · 111 · 110 · 111 · 110
Syllables:
3

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Christopher

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Christopher

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Christopher?
Christopher ranks 12th among boys' names in US records, with 2,159,299 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 74,167.
Is Christopher a unisex name?
No. Christopher is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Christopher most popular?
1984, when 62,393 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
What are common nicknames for Christopher?
Chris. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
How else is Christopher spelled?
Kristopher, Kristofer, Cristofer, Christofer, Kristofor. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.