Girl · #1,306 in 2026

Kristen

Kristen is a first name, also the Breton, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian form of Christian. As a result, Kristen is a male name in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, with the female equivalent spelt as Kristin, a Scandinavian form and a variation of Christine. In Breton, Kristen is both a male and female name. In Indonesian, Kristen is the name for Christian religion from English.

Current Rank
#1,306
Peak Rank
#33 (1982)
Total Babies
219K
5-Yr Trend
-8%
1938
First Year
2026
Last Year
1982
Peak Year
#33
Peak Rank
219K
Total Count
89
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kristen

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

Kristen is a first name, also the Breton, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian form of Christian. As a result, Kristen is a male name in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, with the female equivalent spelt as Kristin, a Scandinavian form and a variation of Christine. In Breton, Kristen is both a male and female name. In Indonesian, Kristen is the name for Christian religion from English.

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

The Story of Kristen

Kristen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1938, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 9,533 Kristens were born — ranking #33 that year. As of 2026, Kristen ranks #1,306 for baby girls with 174 births, gradually falling (-8%). In total, more than 219K Kristens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Kristen

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kristen 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 Kristen

What does the name Kristen mean?
Kristen is a first name, also the Breton, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian form of Christian. As a result, Kristen is a male name in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, with the female equivalent spelt as Kristin, a Scandinavian form and a variation of Christine. In Breton, Kristen is both a male and female name. In Indonesian, Kristen is the name for Christian religion from English.
How popular is Kristen in 2026?
In 2026, Kristen ranks #1,306 among girls' names in the U.S., with 174 babies given the name that year.
When was Kristen most popular?
Kristen reached its peak popularity in 1982, ranking #33 that year with 9,533 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kristen most popular?
Kristen has historically been most popular in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kristen.
Is Kristen a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Kristen is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Kristen?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kristen include Ada, Lillie, Lucy. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Ada
Peak #33
👧
Lillie
Peak #33
👧
Lucy
Peak #33
👧
Bonnie
Peak #33
👧
Audrey
Peak #33
👧
Gabriella
Peak #33
👧
Shelby
Peak #33
👧
Jessie
Peak #34

About the name Kristen

Kristen is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1938 and has accumulated 219K births in the dataset. Kristen's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #33. Use the chart and map above to compare Kristen'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.