| Christopher | Nicholas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Bearer of Christ | Victory of the people |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KRIS-tuh-fer | NIK-uh-lus |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1984 (60,021) | 1995 (29,160) |
| In 2025 | 4,748 | 3,115 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Christopher | Nicholas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 32,696 | 20,988 |
| 2010s | 102,156 | 66,811 |
| 2000s | 203,372 | 177,609 |
| 1990s | 360,287 | 275,329 |
| 1980s | 554,863 | 223,308 |
| 1970s | 475,423 | 65,068 |
| 1960s | 237,144 | 22,339 |
| 1950s | 78,333 | 22,614 |
| 1940s | 15,865 | 15,503 |
| 1930s | 2,731 | 9,716 |
| 1920s | 2,862 | 13,608 |
| 1910s | 1,960 | 10,233 |
| 1900s | 484 | 1,334 |
| 1890s | 668 | 857 |
| 1880s | 752 | 730 |
Christopher comes from the Greek Christophoros, “bearing Christ.” St Christopher, patron of travellers, is said to have carried the Christ child across a river.
Nicholas comes from the Greek for “victory of the people.” St Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop famed for secret gift-giving, became the model for Santa Claus.
Christopher is more popular than Nicholas today: about 4,748 US babies were given the name Christopher in 2025, compared with 3,115 named Nicholas.
Christopher means Bearer of Christ (Greek origin), while Nicholas means Victory of the people (Greek origin).
In US records, Christopher first appears in 1880 and Nicholas in 1880, so Christopher has the longer recorded history.