How Many People Are Named Christian?
An estimated 453,090 people in the United States have the first name Christian. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #93 overall. It is predominantly male (95.8%). The average bearer is 26 years old, and Christian peaked in popularity in 1996 with 16,543 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Kathleen (452,244).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Christian as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Christian paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Christian is overwhelmingly male, 19,847 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
453,090
About 1 in 756 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
95.8% confidence
Average Age
26
years old
Peak Year
1996
16,543 births
Total Registered
470,105
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Christian
Christian is predominantly male (95.8%), though 19,847 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Christian as a male name
Ranked #77 in 2024
4,247 male births in 2024
Peak: 2000 (16,057 births)
Christian as a female name
Ranked #4,479 in 2024
31 female births in 2024
Peak: 1992 (987 births)
Christian in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 415,787 people with the first name Christian, which placed it at #111 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Christian was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 415,787 people with this name in that snapshot, 95.8% were male and 4.2% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 95.8% of the time.
Census Count
415,787
people with this name
Census Rank
#111
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
137.66
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Christian was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (41.97%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (37.80%) and Black (12.24%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Christian in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Christian.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 41.97% | 174,488 |
| Hispanic | 37.80% | 157,166 |
| Black | 12.24% | 50,901 |
| Two or More Races | 4.38% | 18,201 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.06% | 12,721 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.56% | 2,308 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Christian: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Christian span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 145,249 babies were registered. Christian has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Christian by Decade
How has Christian 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 | 497 | 486 | 11 | |
| 1890s | 414 | 404 | 10 | |
| 1900s | 321 | 321 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 1,149 | 1,119 | 30 | |
| 1920s | 1,279 | 1,213 | 66 | |
| 1930s | 896 | 876 | 20 | |
| 1940s | 1,602 | 1,529 | 73 | |
| 1950s | 3,778 | 3,623 | 155 | |
| 1960s | 10,849 | 10,215 | 634 | |
| 1970s | 26,906 | 24,905 | 2,001 | |
| 1980s | 35,366 | 30,289 | 5,077 | |
| 1990s | 133,577 | 126,058 | 7,519 | |
| 2000s | 145,249 | 142,423 | 2,826 | |
| 2010s | 85,388 | 84,179 | 1,209 | |
| 2020s | 22,834 | 22,618 | 216 | |
Christian by State
Birth registrations for Christian span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Vermont, Wyoming, South Dakota. On average, about 9,080 Christians were registered per state.
Christian + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Christian as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Christian
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Christian: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Christian?
We estimate approximately 453,090 people named Christian 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 756 Americans share this first name.
Is Christian a common name?
Christian is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 470,105 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Christian most popular?
Christian reached peak popularity in 1996, when 16,543 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Christian is approximately 26 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Christian in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 415,787 people with the first name Christian. That placed it at #111 in the published Census first-name tables, or 137.66 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Christian was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Christian?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Christian was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 95.8% male and 4.2% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Christian?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Christian was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (41.97%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (37.80%) and Black (12.24%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Christian a male name?
Christian is predominantly male. 95.8% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Christian have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Christian peaked in 1996, and the average living bearer is about 26 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Christian Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Christian Smith, Christian Johnson, Christian 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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