Total births
53,181
Girls' name · since 1937
Kirsten
Since 1937, U.S. Social Security records show 53,181 babies named Kirsten, peaking in 1991. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #3140
- among girls today
- 53,181
- born since 1937
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Kirsten is the #3140 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 53,181 recorded since 1937.
Kirsten has 53,181 recorded births among girls since 1937, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3140 as of the latest data, more common than 82% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1937 to 2025.
- #3140 among girls today
- 53,181 born since 1937
- 1990s peak decade
- 82% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Kirsten is currently the #3140 girls' name in America, more common than 82% of girls - 53,181 born since 1937, peaking in the 1990s.
- #3140
- among girls today
- 53,181
- born since 1937
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
Kirsten vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3140
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 82% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
32% of everyone ever named Kirsten was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
1,931 babies were named Kirsten in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
How Kirsten compares
53,181 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Kirsten's all-time total is 139x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kirsten | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 53,181 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,931 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kirsten's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kirsten's full recorded timeline at 1981, 68% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 32% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1937, with just 10 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1991 peak of 1,931 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kirsten at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1991
Current rank
#3,140
Active since
1937
Kirsten popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1937–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 1,931
- Annual births at peak, across 89 years of records
Kirsten popularity over time - boys
212 total births recorded since 1963 (Kirsten as boys' name)
Kirsten by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Kirsten's strongest decade.
16,882 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Kirsten births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 40
1930s
40 births
- 1940s 297
1940s
297 births
- 1950s 813
1950s
813 births
- 1960s 6,662
1960s
6,662 births
- 1970s
1970s
8,263 births
- 1980s
1980s
8,741 births
- 1990s
1990s
16,882 births
- 2000s
2000s
9,337 births
- 2010s 1,809
2010s
1,809 births
- 2020s 337
2020s
337 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 16,882 births (32% of all-time use).
How Kirsten compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Kirsten's total volume
Kirsten vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kirsten by state
Where Kirsten concentrates geographically, total births since 1937
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,967 | 11.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 2,886 | 5.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 2,885 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 2,823 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 2,559 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 2,236 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,981 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 1,805 | 3.4% |
California share of Kirsten's total US births 11.2%
Even split
5,967 of 53,181 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kirsten appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kirsten? ▼
Kirsten has been given to 53,181 babies in the U.S. since 1937, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #3140 as of the latest data. 1,931 babies were born in 1991, its single highest year.
When was Kirsten most popular? ▼
Kirsten was most popular in the 1990s decade with 16,882 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Kirsten most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kirsten are California (5,967 births), Pennsylvania (2,886 births), New York (2,885 births).
How long has the name Kirsten been used? ▼
Kirsten has been recorded in Social Security data since 1937, spanning 89 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kirsten? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kira, Kirstin, Kirstie, Kirby, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kirsten's data
- Kirsten's decade-level peak was the 1990s (16,882 total births); usage has since declined to 337 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kirstens (5,967 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kirsten
Nearby Names Like Kirsten
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kirsten
Kira Girl
#455 40,829 births
Kirstin Girl
8,778 births
Kirstie Girl
4,151 births
Kirby Girl
#2536 3,963 births
Kirra Girl
#4940 2,605 births
Compare Kirsten side by side: Kirsten vs Kira Kirsten vs Kirstin Kirsten vs Kirstie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kirsten
Data Sources
Data as of July 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1937–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kirsten: #3140 Girls' Name - 53,181 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kirsten. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Kirsten draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.