Kristen

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Girl · Latin, through Danish

Kristen

Say it: KRIS-tin

Try it with your surname

Meaning

A Scandinavian form of Christine or Christian, from Latin Christianus 'a Christian', ultimately from Greek Christos 'anointed'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Popular in the US from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Its wave through time

A fashion of the 1980s

In the United States

024618801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1982per 1,000 babies of that sex
  • 220,240 babies given this name since 1938
  • At its height in 1982, about 1 in 178 girls
  • 147 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

AmericanDanishNorwegian

The family of the name

Other spellings: Kristin, Kirsten

DanishKirsten
NorwegianKristin

Famous bearers

  • Kristen Bell, American actress
  • Kristen Stewart, American actress

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.