Cris
Feminine · “anointed”
Cris is given to both — 1,094 girls and 3,033 boys since 1880. See Cris as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Cris looks to an English reader like Chris with a letter missing. To a Spanish or Italian one it looks completely normal, because those languages have never written an h in this name at all. Cristian, Cristina, Cristobal, Cristo: no h anywhere. The English spelling is the odd one, carrying a piece of Greek costume that the Romance languages took off centuries ago.
How old is the name Cris?
Cris first appears in US birth records in 1939 — 86 years ago. The typical Cris alive today was born around 1961, making them about 64 years old. About 1,000 people named Cris are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cris most popular?
Cris peaked in 1960, reaching #1266 nationally. See the whole 1960 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Greek christos, meaning anointed to Cris
The story of Cris
The best-known American Cris chose the spelling and kept it. Cris Carter was christened with the full Greek name and played sixteen seasons as a wide receiver, most of them in Minnesota, catching more touchdown passes than all but a handful of men who have ever played the game; he was cut early in his career, rebuilt himself, and went into the Hall of Fame with the short spelling on the plaque. The abbreviated form on a bronze plaque is a small thing and not a common one — institutions prefer full names — and it is the reason a great many Americans have seen this spelling in print at all.
Meaning
anointed, through Christ
The Greek word behind it means anointed and was a translation of a Hebrew title. Latin wrote the initial Greek letter as ch, and English kept that spelling in every derivative — Christ, Christian, Christopher, chrism. Spanish, Italian and Portuguese simplified it to a plain c and never looked back, so the h-less spelling that reads as a shortcut in English is the ordinary written form for several hundred million people. In the American record Cris is strongest in exactly the states you would expect, which is the clearest sign of where it comes from.
How the name formed
- Greek christos, meaning anointed
- Latin writes the first letter as ch
- Spanish, Italian and Portuguese drop the h
- Cris in American records from the 1880s
- peaks around 1960 and holds on quietly
Related forms: Cristian · Cristiano · Chris · Cristo
Pronouncing Cris
KRISS
One syllable, exactly like Chris. Spanish speakers may give the r a tap and the vowel a purer sound, but the two spellings are never distinguished out loud.
Nicknames for Cris
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1939
- Most girls named
- 196075 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1266reached in 1960
- Change vs 2008
- 0.0%6 in 2024, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Cris in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Cristian in Spanish — related form
- Cristiano in Portuguese — related form
- Chris in English — spelling variant
- Cristo in Italian — related form
Criss among us
people named Cris are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Cris sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Four letters, one syllable, and no ambiguity of any kind in speech.
- It works in English and Spanish equally well, which few short names manage.
- It suits a child of either sex, and the record carries it on both sides.
- English speakers will add the h back on every form he ever fills in.
- It reads as a nickname to people who do not know the Spanish spelling, and they will ask what it is short for.
- There is no long form on the certificate to fall back on unless one is given deliberately.
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Cris
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Criss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Cris are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Cris in 2025?
- Cris is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Cris with classmates?
- Cris will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Carol#2239 · Cynthia#1013 · Catherine#313 · Christine#1272 · Carolyn#1222 · Christina#770 · Charlotte#2 · Cheryl#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cris? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cris and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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