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.
- #183 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,993 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 218,767
- born since 1938
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kristen is the #1993 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 #1993 nationally today, ahead of 88% 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.
- #183 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,993 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 218,767 born since 1938
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kristen ranks #183 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,993 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 218,767 born since 1938, peaking in the 1980s.
- #183 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,993 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 218,767
- born since 1938
- 1980s
- peak decade
Kristen's 218,767 recorded births place it above 99.74% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kristen compares
218,767 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 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 582x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kristen | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 218,767 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,534 | 21 | 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 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
1980s is the heaviest window (83,228 births, 38% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Kristen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kristen most popular? ▼
Where is Kristen most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kristen been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kristen? ▼
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
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
Compare Kristen side by side: Kristen vs Kristin Kristen vs Kristina Kristen vs Kristine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kristen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kristen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1982)
Similar record span (~87 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.