US rank #3125 Girls' name Peak 1991 53,119 births

Kirsten — #3125 US girls' name

53,119 babies named Kirsten in U.S. Social Security records since 1937, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1930s401940s2971950s8131960s66621970s82631980s87411990s168822000s93372010s18082020s276
#3125
of 17,661 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.

What the Data Says About Kirsten

The Social Security Administration has registered 53,119 babies named Kirsten between 1937 and 2024, spanning 88 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Kirsten currently holds the #3125 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1991, when 1,931 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Kirsten performed strongest in the 1990s, accumulating 16,882 births during that ten-year window. Across the 10 decades of recorded activity, Kirsten shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 5,967 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Kirsten in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Kirsten in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 53,119 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Kirsten at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

53,119

Since 1937

88 years of records

Peak year

1991

1,931 births that year

Strongest decade: 1990s

Current rank

#3,125

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1937

Recorded for 88 years

Last year on file: 2024

Kirsten popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1937

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1991)
1,931
Annual births at peak — across 88 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,0002,500 202420132002199119801969195819471937 10

Kirsten popularity over time — boys

212 total births recorded since 1963 (Kirsten as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 212 births
468101214 2004199119871982197719711963 8

Kirsten by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1990s
Peak decade
1990s
16,882 births that decade — 32% of Kirsten's all-time total
1930s401940s2971950s8131960s66621970s82631980s87411990s168822000s93372010s18082020s276

Kirsten by state

Where Kirsten concentrates geographically — total births since 1937

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Kirsten
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
5,967 11.2%
#2 New York
2,885 5.4%
#3 Pennsylvania
2,874 5.4%
#4 Texas
2,822 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 53,119 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?
53,119 babies have been named Kirsten since 1937. It currently ranks #3125 among girls. The peak year was 1991 with 1,931 births.
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), New York (2,885 births), Pennsylvania (2,874 births).
How long has the name Kirsten been used?
Kirsten has been recorded in Social Security data since 1937, spanning 88 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Kirsten

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1937–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.