Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Chris

Chris is the short form of any name beginning with “Chris” most notably Christopher, Christian or Christine. All of these names come from the Greek word “christos” meaning ‘to anoint’ (which is also the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “messiah” also meaning ‘anointed’). Jesus Christ is believed to have been ‘anointed’ by God as the savior of man. Chris has become an independently given name in its own right but mainly bestowed upon boys rather than girls (even though Chris could be a pet form for Christine or Christina). Chris as a stand-alone name is considered more masculine. Although it’s more typical of Americans to give short forms or nicknames to their children as given names, Chris is a name that is semi-popular in Holland and France as well.

All About the Baby Name – Chris

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME CHRIS

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME CHRIS

As a given name, Chris has been in use in the United States since at least the late 19th century. The name appeared on the female naming charts between the 1940s and 1970s, but hasn’t been used for girls since 1977. Therefore, we are considering Chris primarily a masculine given name today. For boys, Chris has had an impressive ride on the charts for well over 100 years. The clear height of the name’s popularity came during the 1960s and early 1970s when the name was a Top 100 favorite (it almost even made the Top 50 list in the mid-60s). Since the latter half of the 1970s, Chris has been on the decline – although in the late 1990s and early 2000s he did rebound ever so slightly. Many people consider this name too common or overused, but mainly because there are so many possible boys and girls out there who are using this as a short form as well. It seems more logical to give your child a fuller name like Christopher or Christian and then use the nickname Chris. At least that way, when your son grows older, he’ll have more flexibility. All of the famous “Chris” people we could find (Brown, Rock, Farley, Martin) all have the birth name Christopher. Why restrict your child’s options later in life? Chris is a great name but it’s better as a short form rather than an independently given name.

Quick Facts

ON CHRIS

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Greek

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

454

PRONUNCIATION:

KRIS

SIMPLE MEANING:

Christ-bearer

Characteristics

OF CHRIS

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Chris

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME CHRIS

Chris Keller is a main character in Arthur Miller’s 1947 play, All My Sons, also adapted to film, radio and television. Chris is one of the sons of Joe and Kate Keller; another son, Larry, has been missing in action for years and is feared dead. Chris wants to marry Larry’s fiancée, Ann, but he cannot do so while his mother still holds out hope that Larry is alive. In the background of all this tension is the repressed knowledge of Joe Keller’s part in knowingly shipping out faulty equipment during the war, causing the deaths of twenty-one American pilots. Chris is a good and decent young man, if somewhat self-involved, but he cannot any longer overlook the damning evidence against his father. In a stunning and tragic denouement, Joe admits to his guilt and commits suicide. Chris is left with the remains of his self-righteousness and the knowledge that he has some culpability as well. We hope that in the non-existent Act IV, Chris is able to reach beyond his survivor’s guilt and find some measure of happiness with Ann.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME CHRIS

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Chris


Popular Songs

ON CHRIS

Chris Cayton
a song by Goldfinger [explicit]

Chris Chambers
a song by Stereophonics

Chris Drives Me Home
a song by Whatever It Takes

Chris Gets Up On It
a song by Pain

Chris the Birthday Boy
a song by Solex

Cousin Chris
a song by The Fiery Furnaces

The Second Coming of Chris
a song by The Badlees

Famous People

NAMED CHRIS

Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III (comic/actor)
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley (comic/actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper (actor)
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan (SNL cast member)
Frederick Christopher "Chris" Klein (actor)
Christopher Eugene "Chris" O'Donnell (actor)
Christopher John “Chris” Osgood (hockey player)
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell (SNL)
Christopher "Chris" Tucker (actor)
Christopher Shannon "Chris" Penn (actor)
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews (political commentator)
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (musician)
Christopher Mark "Chris" Robinson (musician)
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry (American Idol contestant)
Christopher John "Chris" Weitz (film producer)
Christopher Sean "Chris" Lowe (actor)
Chris Dyson (racecar driver)
Chris Cornelius Byrd (boxer)
Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (R&B singer)
Christopher Brian Bridges (aka Ludacris, rapper)
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III (comic/actor)
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley (comic/actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper (actor)
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan (SNL cast member)
Frederick Christopher "Chris" Klein (actor)
Christopher Eugene "Chris" O'Donnell (actor)
Christopher John “Chris” Osgood (hockey player)
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell (SNL)
Christopher "Chris" Tucker (actor)
Christopher Shannon "Chris" Penn (actor)
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews (political commentator)
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (musician)
Christopher Mark "Chris" Robinson (musician)
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry (American Idol contestant)
Christopher John "Chris" Weitz (film producer)
Christopher Sean "Chris" Lowe (actor)
Chris Dyson (racecar driver)
Chris Cornelius Byrd (boxer)
Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (R&B singer)
Christopher Brian Bridges (aka Ludacris, rapper)
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III (comic/actor)
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley (comic/actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper (actor)
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan (SNL cast member)
Frederick Christopher "Chris" Klein (actor)
Christopher Eugene "Chris" O'Donnell (actor)
Christopher John “Chris” Osgood (hockey player)
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell (SNL)
Christopher "Chris" Tucker (actor)
Christopher Shannon "Chris" Penn (actor)
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews (political commentator)
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (musician)
Christopher Mark "Chris" Robinson (musician)
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry (American Idol contestant)
Christopher John "Chris" Weitz (film producer)
Christopher Sean "Chris" Lowe (actor)
Chris Dyson (racecar driver)
Chris Cornelius Byrd (boxer)
Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (R&B singer)
Christopher Brian Bridges (aka Ludacris, rapper)

Children of Famous People

NAMED CHRIS

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Chris

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME CHRIS

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Chris