NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Chris

Masculine name from the Greek meaning "bearer of Christ" or "anointed".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Chris is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Chris popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1132, with 25 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 49 births.

This profile covers 965 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 51% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,265 living people in the UK are called Chris. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Chris ranked #1132 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 25 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2013, when 49 boys were registered as Chris.
  • Chris ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2019.
  • About 1,265 living people in the UK are estimated to have Chris as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1132

2024

Births in 2024

25

Latest year

Peak year

2013

49 births

Estimated living

1,265

2026

Meaning

What does Chris mean?

Chris is a feminine and masculine given name derived from the ancient Greek name Χριστός (Christós), which means "the anointed one." It was a descriptive title given to Jesus Christ, as Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. The name's origins can be traced back to the early days of Christianity in the 1st century AD.

The name Chris gained popularity as a shortened form of the names Christopher and Christian, which were widely used throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. It was particularly common in regions with strong Christian influences, such as Italy, Spain, and France.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Chris can be found in the Bible, where it appears as a title for Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, the name is mentioned multiple times, particularly in the Gospels and the Book of Acts.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Chris or its variants. One of the most famous is St. Christopher, a 3rd-century Christian martyr who is the patron saint of travelers and is often depicted carrying the Christ child across a river.

Another historical figure with the name Chris was Chris the Hermit, a 6th-century Byzantine monk who lived a life of solitude and is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

In the realm of arts and literature, Chris Marlowe, an English playwright and poet born in 1564, is renowned for his works such as "Doctor Faustus" and "The Jew of Malta."

In the world of science, Chris Galilei, an Italian astronomer born in 1564, made significant contributions to the scientific revolution with his pioneering work on the laws of motion and the use of the telescope.

Lastly, Chris Columbus, the Italian explorer born in 1451, is famous for his voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, which led to the European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Chris over time

The chart below shows babies named Chris registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Chris, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 25 births in 2024, compared with 49 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Chris
012253749199620102024

Decades

Chris by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Chris was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #975 154 5
2010s #827 382 10
2000s #698 361 10
1990s #893 68 4

Geography

Where Chris is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Chris. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Chris ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2019.

Scotland
5
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Chris in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#533 in 2023

44 years of NRS records, 287 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#418 in 2019

7 years of NISRA records, 26 total registered

Related

Names similar to Chris

FAQ

Chris: questions and answers

How popular is the name Chris in the UK right now?

In 2024, Chris was ranked #1132 for boys in England and Wales, with 25 births registered.

When was Chris most popular?

The peak year on record was 2013, with 49 babies registered as Chris in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Chris?

Masculine name from the Greek meaning "bearer of Christ" or "anointed".

How many people are called Chris in the UK?

A total of 965 babies have been registered as Chris across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 287 more in Scotland and 26 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Chris most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Chris ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #418 in 2019. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.