Christian is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Christian means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Christian across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Christian has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Christian is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “follower of Christ”. used as a given name since the Middle Ages.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 473,843 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 9,610 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 671 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 333 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,617 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,138 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Christian per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1996 (16,544/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (627/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2008 (90/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2006 (33/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2007 (22/yr).
Christian has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1996, when it ranked #33 nationally (given to 17,207 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1990s.
Cristian · Kristian · Christiana · Cristiano · Christiane · Christion · Kristiana · Khristian
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