Krzysztof
Name of Slavic origin meaning "bearer of Christ" or "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 453 living Americans carry the first name Krzysztof. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Krzysztof today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Krzysztof births was 1989 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Krzysztof. 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 Krzysztof with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
453
~ 1 in 756,632 Americans
Peak year
1989
18 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,236
Tracked since 1962
Census
Krzysztof in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,071 people with the first name Krzysztof, which placed it at #3,873 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
#3,873
National first-name rank
People counted
5.1K
5,071 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
99.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krzysztof
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Krzysztof is White at 99.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.3%) and Black (0.1%). 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 Krzysztof 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 Krzysztof at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.5% · 5,045
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 15
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Popularity
Krzysztof: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Krzysztof from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 128 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Krzysztof 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 Krzysztof during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Krzysztofs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, New Jersey, New York recorded the most babies named Krzysztof, while New York, New Jersey, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 54 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Krzysztof
Krzysztof is a masculine given name of Polish origin, derived from the Greek name Christophoros, meaning "Christ-bearer." The name has been in use since the 10th century in Poland, with its earliest known recording dating back to around 966 AD.
The name Krzysztof is a Polish adaptation of the Greek name Christophoros, which was composed of the elements "Christos" (Christ) and "phoros" (bearer or carrier). This name was given to those who carried the faith or symbolically bore Christ within their hearts. The Polish version, Krzysztof, emerged as a result of the Christianization of Poland in the 10th century.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Krzysztof can be found in the Polish chronicles from the 11th century, where it was mentioned as the name of a priest or monk. However, the name gained widespread popularity in Poland during the Middle Ages, particularly after the canonization of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers and protection against sudden death.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Krzysztof. One of the earliest was Krzysztof Arciszewski (1592-1656), a Polish nobleman, military commander, and diplomat who played a significant role in the Polish-Swedish War of 1626-1629. Another prominent figure was Krzysztof Kluk (1739-1796), a Polish naturalist, priest, and author, known for his contributions to the field of natural history.
In the realm of literature, Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński (1921-1944) was a celebrated Polish poet and soldier who fought in the Warsaw Uprising during World War II. His poetic works, imbued with patriotism and a sense of duty, have become an integral part of Polish literary heritage.
In the field of science, Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020) was a renowned Polish composer and conductor, known for his avant-garde works and contributions to contemporary classical music. His compositions, such as "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" and the "St. Luke Passion," have earned him international acclaim.
Another notable figure was Krzysztof Kieślowski (1941-1996), a Polish film director and screenwriter renowned for his thought-provoking and emotionally powerful films, including the "Three Colors" trilogy and "Dekalog," a series of ten films inspired by the Ten Commandments.
While these are just a few examples, the name Krzysztof has been borne by many other individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of Poland and beyond.
People
Krzysztof + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Krzysztof 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
Krzysztof: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Krzysztof?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 453 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Krzysztof 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 756,632 US residents.
Is Krzysztof a common name?
We classify Krzysztof as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 468 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Krzysztof most popular?
The single biggest year for Krzysztof was 1989, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Krzysztof is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Krzysztof in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,071 people with the name Krzysztof, or 1.68 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,873 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 Krzysztof 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 Krzysztof?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Krzysztof appears almost entirely male. Of the 5,072 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Krzysztof?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Krzysztof is White at 99.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.3%) and Black (0.1%). 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 Krzysztof most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Krzysztof in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.5% (5,045 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 Krzysztof in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Krzysztof a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Krzysztof 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 Krzysztof still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Krzysztof 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 Krzysztof 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 called Krzysztof?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.