Christian is a name of Latin origin that means "follower of Christ." The name was first used in the New Testament of the Bible to refer to early Christians. Interestingly, it may have been used derisively at first – but Christian quickly became the preferred term for followers of the young religion.
Christian rose to popularity as a name for both men and women during the Middle Ages in Europe. It was the name of many kings of Denmark and a Queen (Christina) of Sweden. It's also the middle name of the beloved 19th-century author Hans Christian Andersen, who's famous for writing fairy tales including The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, and The Emperor's New Clothes. There are also many modern famous folks who bear this name, like actor Christian Bale and fashion designer Christian Dior.
The name Christian is popular around the world, and has many variations in both spelling and pronunciation, such as:
- Kristian (Czech, Swedish)
- Karsten (Norwegian)
- Cristiano (Italian, Portuguese)
- Cristian (Spanish)
- Christian (French)
- Christiaan (Dutch)
- Kristijan (Croatian)
- Krystian (Polish)
Christian can be a gender-neutral name but is mostly used for boys. Female variations of the name include Christina, Christine, Christiane, Kristine, Kristen, Kirsten, and Christa.
Christian has longevity: It's been in the top 1,000 names for boys on the Social Security Administration (SSA) list since 1900. But it has gradually declined in popularity since its peak in 2006, when it ranked number 21. On BabyCenter, Christian is following a similar trend. (BabyCenter's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.)
The decline may be because fewer Americans identify as religious, or simply because Christian is going through the typical baby name cycle in which popular names eventually fall out of favor. But many parents still choose Christian – either for religious reasons, to honor a family member, or because they like the sound or flow of the name. Christian remains a classic with a rich history, and it's likely to continue as a popular name.