girl's name
Christelle
kris-TEL
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 10
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 157,432
Christelle is a French girl's name meaning a follower of Christ. Its 1972 French peak of 13,125 births is the largest single-year figure in this group by a wide margin, and it now ranks 3093rd.
- Christelle is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1972, when 13,125 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 58,952 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1933.
Christelle over time
Births per decade in France, 1930s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 |
| 1940s | 90 |
| 1950s | 440 |
| 1960s | 23,215 |
| 1970s | 95,000 |
| 1980s | 30,375 |
| 1990s | 5,370 |
| 2000s | 880 |
| 2010s | 270 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 75 |
What Christelle means
Christelle means a follower of Christ, or a Christian. The Latin adjective for belonging to Christ is applied as a name rather than translated into a description.
Where Christelle comes from
Christelle is a French elaboration of Christel, itself a short form of Christine, from the Latin Christiana — a Christian. Christos translates the Hebrew mashiach, the anointed one, referring to the oil poured at a coronation, so the whole family descends from a title rather than a personal name. The -elle ending is a French diminutive that also produced Michelle, Isabelle and Danielle. The ice reading occasionally given comes from confusion with the unrelated Germanic Kristel and the English crystal.
Christelle in use
Christelle peaked in France in 1972, when 13,125 babies were registered — by a wide margin the largest single-year figure in this group — and is falling in our data. It now charts in two of the seven markets we track, at 3093rd in France on 10 births and 8613th in the United States on 12, across 157,432 lifetime births. A very tall, very narrow French curve, of the same shape as Aurélie's.
How popular is Christelle?
In 2025, Christelle was given to 10 babies in France. It is a rare choice.
Where Christelle is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Christelle
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Christelle also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Christelle over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Christelle
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Christelle in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Christelle
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Christelle — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Christelle
What does the name Christelle mean?
A follower of Christ — from the Latin Christiana.
Does Christelle mean ice?
No — that comes from confusion with the unrelated Germanic Kristel and the English crystal.
What does Christ mean?
The anointed one, translating the Hebrew mashiach — a title referring to the oil poured at a coronation.
How popular was Christelle?
It peaked in France in 1972 at 13,125 births, the largest single-year figure in this group.
Is Christelle a girl's or a boy's name?
Christelle is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
What are the nicknames for Christelle?
Christelle is usually shortened to Chris.
Is Christelle a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Christelle currently ranks #3,093 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.