| Christopher | Timothy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Bearer of Christ | Honoring God |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KRIS-tuh-fer | TIM-uh-thee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1984 (60,021) | 1959 (30,783) |
| In 2025 | 4,748 | 1,734 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Christopher | Timothy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 32,696 | 10,984 |
| 2010s | 102,156 | 28,234 |
| 2000s | 203,372 | 52,470 |
| 1990s | 360,287 | 107,772 |
| 1980s | 554,863 | 172,835 |
| 1970s | 475,423 | 181,260 |
| 1960s | 237,144 | 276,837 |
| 1950s | 78,333 | 198,324 |
| 1940s | 15,865 | 43,503 |
| 1930s | 2,731 | 5,105 |
| 1920s | 2,862 | 2,960 |
| 1910s | 1,960 | 1,918 |
| 1900s | 484 | 647 |
| 1890s | 668 | 650 |
| 1880s | 752 | 693 |
Christopher comes from the Greek Christophoros, “bearing Christ.” St Christopher, patron of travellers, is said to have carried the Christ child across a river.
Timothy comes from the Greek Timotheos, “honouring God,” from timē (“honour”) and theos (“god”). Timothy was a young companion of the apostle Paul.
Christopher is more popular than Timothy today: about 4,748 US babies were given the name Christopher in 2025, compared with 1,734 named Timothy.
Christopher means Bearer of Christ (Greek origin), while Timothy means Honoring God (Greek origin).
In US records, Christopher first appears in 1880 and Timothy in 1880, so Christopher has the longer recorded history.