Christine
Meaning
“French form of Christina, from Christianus, 'a Christian'”
Famously borne by Christine Sinclair, international soccer's all-time leading scorer.
The story
Christine is the French dress on a very old idea: it comes through Christina from the Latin Christianus, 'a Christian', a name Europe wore for centuries in honor of the faith. English-speaking America borrowed the French form and made it a generational signature: the curve climbs from the 1940s, peaks in the 1960s, and steps down gently through the decades after, so a Christine often carries her era lightly in her name. The wider family runs from Christina and Kristin to Cristina and Kirsten, with Chris and Chrissy as the everyday shortcuts.
Christine around the world
One shared root links 18 names across 6 languages.
Shared root: from Latin Christianus, "a Christian" (Christos, "anointed", at the root), with Christina as its feminine and an entire Nordic branch of spellings
The constellation
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Christine peaked in the 1960s and the 1970s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
1,334 people · the #6,825 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 142,857 · median age 43
Among people named Christine living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 20 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Christine
People given the name Christine in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1989. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Christine deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Christine truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Christine fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Christine travels
Korean American · the French form of Christina; a dignified mid-century English church name still given today
Chinese American · the French form of Christina; a dignified mid-century classic
Keep exploring
Nicknames for Christine · Korean American baby names · Chinese American baby names · Names of soccer legends
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