Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Chris?
Births per year, rank history and how many Chrises are alive today.
Chris (male) is a shortened form of the name Christopher (and sometimes of Christian). Although Chris itself was given to 34 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 914th as a registered name), most Chrises are registered as Christopher, which ranked 203rd in 2025 with 247 babies.
Most people called Chris are registered as Christopher, and share that name's profile: the Christopher you are most likely to meet is around 42 years old. Half of all Christophers born in England and Wales are between 41 and 64, and there are at least 490,000 of them alive today. Only some Christophers go by Chris.
How many babies are named Chris or Christopher each year?
Combined registrations of Christopher, Chris. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Christopher rank as a registered name?
Where does Chris rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Chris short for Christopher?
Yes - Chris is a shortened form of Christopher. It is also used for Christian. Chrises are usually registered as Christopher at birth.
When was the name Chris most popular?
The full name Christopher peaked in 1984, when around 14,000 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Chris itself peaked as a registered name in 2013, with 49 babies.
How many people are called Chris?
There's no official count of people who go by Chris, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 490,000 people registered as Christopher born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Chris.
How old is the typical Chris?
Most people called Chris are registered as Christopher. Most living Christophers are between 41 and 64; the most common age is about 42.
Is Chris becoming more or less popular?
Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1984 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.