Kristofer
A masculine given name derived from the Greek name "Χριστόφορος" meaning "bearer of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 9,361 living Americans carry the first name Kristofer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kristofer today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kristofer births was 1978 (349 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kristofer. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kristofer with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
9.4K
~ 1 in 36,615 Americans
Peak year
1978
349 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,483
Tracked since 1945
Census
Kristofer in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,552 people with the first name Kristofer, which placed it at #2,974 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,974
National first-name rank
People counted
7.6K
7,552 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kristofer
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kristofer is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Black (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kristofer described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kristofer at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 5,378
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 984
- Black or African American7.1% · 539
- Two or more races5.0% · 375
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 234
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 42
Popularity
Kristofer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kristofer from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 2,796 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kristofer by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kristofer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kristofers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Kristofer, while Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 165 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kristofer
The name Kristofer has its origins in the ancient Greek language and culture, with the first known use dating back to the 1st century AD. It is derived from the Greek words "Christos" meaning "anointed" and "phero" meaning "to bear" or "to bring". The name essentially translates to "bearer of Christ" or "one who brings Christ".
The name gained widespread popularity during the early days of Christianity, as it was often given to those who were seen as devoted followers of Christ or those who played a significant role in spreading the Christian faith. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the early Christian theologian and philosopher, Origen of Alexandria, who lived in the 3rd century AD.
In the 4th century, the name was borne by Saint Christopher, a legendary figure venerated in Christianity as the patron saint of travelers and those seeking protection during journeys. According to legend, Saint Christopher was a tall and strong man who assisted travelers in crossing a treacherous river, and on one occasion, he carried a child who revealed himself to be Christ, hence the name's meaning of "bearer of Christ".
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Kristofer. In the 12th century, Kristofer of Bavaria was a prominent Benedictine monk and scholar known for his contributions to the study of theology and philosophy. During the Renaissance era, Kristofer Kolumbus, better known as Christopher Columbus, was the famous Italian explorer who is credited with the European discovery of the Americas in 1492.
In the 17th century, Kristofer Wren, an English architect, mathematician, and astronomer, was responsible for redesigning many of the churches in London after the Great Fire of 1666, including the iconic St. Paul's Cathedral. Another well-known bearer of the name was Kristofer Marlowe, an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era, who is considered one of the greatest dramatists of all time.
In more recent history, Kristofer Nolan, born in 1970, is a renowned American filmmaker known for his critically acclaimed movies such as "Inception", "Interstellar", and "The Dark Knight" trilogy. Kristofer Walken, born in 1943, is an acclaimed American actor and dancer, known for his distinctive voice and roles in films such as "The Deer Hunter", "Catch Me If You Can", and "Hairspray".
People
Kristofer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kristofer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kristofer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kristofer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,361 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kristofer going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 36,615 US residents.
Is Kristofer a common name?
We classify Kristofer as "Rare". It ranks above 97.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,761 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kristofer most popular?
The single biggest year for Kristofer was 1978, when 349 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kristofer is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kristofer in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,552 people with the name Kristofer, or 2.50 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,974 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kristofer in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kristofer?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kristofer appears almost entirely male. Of the 7,552 people counted with this name, 99.7% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kristofer?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kristofer is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Black (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kristofer most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kristofer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (5,378 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kristofer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kristofer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kristofer in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kristofer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kristofer in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kristofer can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Kristofer?
Find out how many people share the name Kristofer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.