How Many People Are Named Chris?
An estimated 139,464 people in the United States have the first name Chris. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #385 overall. It is used for both genders, with 86.5% male. The average bearer is 55 years old, and Chris peaked in popularity in 1961 with 8,772 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Chris as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Chris paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Chris has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
139,464
About 1 in 2,458 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
86.5% confidence
Average Age
55
years old
Peak Year
1961
8,772 births
Total Registered
169,995
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Chris
Chris is predominantly male (86.5%), though 22,956 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Chris as a male name
Ranked #650 in 2024
423 male births in 2024
Peak: 1961 (7,204 births)
Chris as a female name
Ranked #12,392 in 2024
7 female births in 2024
Peak: 1961 (1,568 births)
Chris: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Chris span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 67,621 babies were registered. Chris has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Chris by Decade
How has Chris tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 503 | 503 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 396 | 396 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 339 | 339 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 1,124 | 1,103 | 21 | |
| 1920s | 1,795 | 1,667 | 128 | |
| 1930s | 2,102 | 1,899 | 203 | |
| 1940s | 8,743 | 7,166 | 1,577 | |
| 1950s | 32,269 | 25,901 | 6,368 | |
| 1960s | 67,621 | 56,347 | 11,274 | |
| 1970s | 27,158 | 24,859 | 2,299 | |
| 1980s | 7,101 | 6,511 | 590 | |
| 1990s | 5,396 | 5,144 | 252 | |
| 2000s | 7,804 | 7,669 | 135 | |
| 2010s | 5,644 | 5,581 | 63 | |
| 2020s | 2,000 | 1,954 | 46 | |
Chris by State
Birth registrations for Chris span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Delaware, Rhode Island, Alaska. On average, about 3,168 Chriss were registered per state.
Chris + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Chris as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Chris
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Chris: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chris?
We estimate approximately 139,464 people named Chris are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,458 Americans share this first name.
Is Chris a common name?
Chris is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 169,995 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Chris most popular?
Chris reached peak popularity in 1961, when 8,772 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Chris is approximately 55 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Chris a male name?
Chris is predominantly male. 86.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Chris Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Chris Smith, Chris Johnson, Chris Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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