Girl · #10,472 in 2026

Crista

Name: Popularity of the name Crista in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Crista, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

A crista is a fold in the inner membrane of a mitochondrion. The name is from the Latin for crest or plume, and it gives the inner membrane its characteristic wrinkled shape, providing a large amount of surface area for chemical reactions to occur on. This aids aerobic cellular respiration, because the mitochondrion requires oxygen.

Current Rank

#10,472

Peak Rank

#802 (1971)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1947

First Year

2019

Last Year

1971

Peak Year

#802

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Crista

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

With the discovery of the dual-membrane nature of mitochondria, the pioneers of mitochondrial ultrastructural research proposed different models for the organization of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Three models proposed were: Baffle model – According to Palade (1953), the mitochondrial inner membrane is convoluted in a baffle-like manner with broad openings towards the intra-cristal space. This model entered most textbooks and was widely believed for a long time. Septa model – Sjöstrand (1953) suggested that sheets of inner membrane are spanned like septa (plural of septum ) through the m

The Story of Crista

Crista first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1947, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1971, when 175 Cristas were born — ranking #802 that year. As of 2026, Crista ranks #10,472 for baby girls with 9 births, with steady use. In total, more than 4K Cristas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Crista

Phonetically similar names — useful when Crista is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Crista

What does the name Crista mean?

How popular is Crista in 2026?

In 2026, Crista ranks #10,472 among girls' names in the U.S., with 9 babies given the name that year.

When was Crista most popular?

Crista reached its peak popularity in 1971, ranking #802 that year with 175 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Crista most popular?

Crista has historically been most popular in New Mexico, Utah, Arizona. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Crista.

Is Crista a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Crista is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Crista?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Crista include Verdie, Zana, Laurene. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Crista

Crista is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1947 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Crista's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #802. Use the chart and map above to compare Crista's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.