Total births
12,079
Girls' name · since 1951
Kristal
Kristal has 12,079 recorded births since 1951 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1982 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #9063
- among girls today
- 12,079
- born since 1951
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Kristal is the #9063 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 12,079 recorded since 1951.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kristal has been recorded 12,079 times among girls since 1951, currently ranked #9063 nationally and more common than 49% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1951 to 2025.
- #9063 among girls today
- 12,079 born since 1951
- 1980s peak decade
- 49% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kristal is currently the #9063 girls' name in America, more common than 49% of girls - 12,079 born since 1951, peaking in the 1980s.
- #9063
- among girls today
- 12,079
- born since 1951
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Kristal vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#9063
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 49% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Kristal was born in this single decade.
1982
Single peak year
582 babies were named Kristal in 1982 - its busiest year on record.
How Kristal compares
12,079 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Kristal's all-time total is 32x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kristal | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,079 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 582 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kristal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kristal splits its recorded history at 1988: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1951 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1982 peak of 582 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kristal at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1982
Current rank
#9,063
Active since
1951
Kristal popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1951–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 582
- Annual births at peak, across 75 years of records
Kristal by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Kristal's strongest decade.
4,338 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Kristal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 181
1950s
181 births
- 1960s 953
1960s
953 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,788 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,338 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,087 births
- 2000s 1,166
2000s
1,166 births
- 2010s 469
2010s
469 births
- 2020s 97
2020s
97 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 4,338 births (36% of all-time use).
How Kristal 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 Kristal's total volume
Kristal vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kristal by state
Where Kristal concentrates geographically, total births since 1951
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,660 | 13.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,453 | 12.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 720 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Florida | | 524 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 438 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 437 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 339 | 2.8% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 244 | 2.0% |
California share of Kristal's total US births 13.7%
Even split
1,660 of 12,079 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Kristal appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kristal? ▼
Since 1951, Social Security records show 12,079 babies named Kristal. Today it holds rank #9063 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1982, with 582 births.
When was Kristal most popular? ▼
Kristal was most popular in the 1980s decade with 4,338 total births. The single peak year was 1982.
Where is Kristal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kristal are California (1,660 births), Texas (1,453 births), New York (720 births).
How long has the name Kristal been used? ▼
Kristal has been recorded in Social Security data since 1951, spanning 75 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kristal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kristen, Kristin, Kristina, Kristine, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kristal's data
- Kristal's decade-level peak was the 1980s (4,338 total births); usage has since declined to 97 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kristals (1,660 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 Kristal
Nearby Names Like Kristal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kristal
Kristen Girl
#1281 218,767 births
Kristin Girl
#4486 179,313 births
Kristina Girl
#1736 136,765 births
Kristine Girl
#3831 84,329 births
Kristi Girl
#12298 76,484 births
Compare Kristal side by side: Kristal vs Kristen Kristal vs Kristin Kristal vs Kristina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kristal
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1951–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kristal: #9063 Girls' Name - 12,079 Births, Peak 1982." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kristal. 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 Kristal 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 June 2026.