Total births
218,767
Girls' name · since 1938
Kristen
Since 1938, U.S. Social Security records show 218,767 babies named Kristen, peaking in 1982. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1281
- among girls today
- 218,767
- born since 1938
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Kristen is the #1281 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 218,767 recorded since 1938.
Social Security Administration records show Kristen recorded 218,767 times among girls since 1938, holding rank #1281 nationally today, ahead of 93% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1938 to 2025.
- #1281 among girls today
- 218,767 born since 1938
- 1980s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kristen is currently the #1281 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 218,767 born since 1938, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1281
- among girls today
- 218,767
- born since 1938
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Kristen vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1281
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
38% of everyone ever named Kristen was born in this single decade.
1982
Single peak year
9,534 babies were named Kristen in 1982 - its busiest year on record.
How Kristen compares
218,767 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Kristen's all-time total is 573x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kristen | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 218,767 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,534 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kristen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kristen splits its recorded history at 1982: 63% of all births land in the more recent half, 37% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1938 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1982 peak of 9,534 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kristen at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1982
Current rank
#1,281
Active since
1938
Kristen popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1938–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 9,534
- Annual births at peak, across 88 years of records
Kristen popularity over time - boys
2,185 total births recorded since 1947 (Kristen as boys' name)
Kristen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Kristen's strongest decade.
83,228 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Kristen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 20
1930s
20 births
- 1940s 776
1940s
776 births
- 1950s 2,811
1950s
2,811 births
- 1960s 18,039
1960s
18,039 births
- 1970s
1970s
44,206 births
- 1980s
1980s
83,228 births
- 1990s
1990s
53,075 births
- 2000s 12,558
2000s
12,558 births
- 2010s 3,244
2010s
3,244 births
- 2020s 810
2020s
810 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 83,228 births (38% of all-time use).
How Kristen 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 Kristen's total volume
Kristen vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kristen by state
Where Kristen concentrates geographically, total births since 1938
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 19,976 | 9.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 18,219 | 8.3% |
| #3 | Texas | | 13,337 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 12,906 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 11,562 | 5.3% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 9,848 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 9,802 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 9,363 | 4.3% |
California share of Kristen's total US births 9.1%
Even split
19,976 of 218,767 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kristen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kristen? ▼
Since 1938, Social Security records show 218,767 babies named Kristen. Today it holds rank #1281 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1982, with 9,534 births.
When was Kristen most popular? ▼
Kristen was most popular in the 1980s decade with 83,228 total births. The single peak year was 1982.
Where is Kristen most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kristen are California (19,976 births), New York (18,219 births), Texas (13,337 births).
How long has the name Kristen been used? ▼
Kristen has been recorded in Social Security data since 1938, spanning 88 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kristen? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kristin, Kristina, Kristine, Kristi, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kristen's data
- Kristen's decade-level peak was the 1980s (83,228 total births); usage has since declined to 810 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kristens (19,976 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 Kristen
Nearby Names Like Kristen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kristen
Kristin Girl
#4486 179,313 births
Kristina Girl
#1736 136,765 births
Kristine Girl
#3831 84,329 births
Kristi Girl
#12298 76,484 births
Krista Girl
#4585 73,715 births
Compare Kristen side by side: Kristen vs Kristin Kristen vs Kristina Kristen vs Kristine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kristen
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, 1938–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kristen: #1281 Girls' Name - 218,767 Births, Peak 1982." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kristen. 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 Kristen 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.