Total births
12,459
Girls' name · since 1960
Trista
Since 1960, U.S. Social Security records show 12,459 babies named Trista, peaking in 1984. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #12381
- among girls today
- 12,459
- born since 1960
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 30%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Trista is the #12381 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 12,459 recorded since 1960.
Trista has 12,459 recorded births among girls since 1960, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12381 as of the latest data, more common than 30% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1960 to 2024.
- #12381 among girls today
- 12,459 born since 1960
- 1980s peak decade
- 30% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Trista is currently the #12381 girls' name in America, more common than 30% of girls - 12,459 born since 1960, peaking in the 1980s.
- #12381
- among girls today
- 12,459
- born since 1960
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 30%
- more common than other girls
Trista vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#12381
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 30% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
40% of everyone ever named Trista was born in this single decade.
1984
Single peak year
1,215 babies were named Trista in 1984 - its busiest year on record.
How Trista compares
12,459 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
Trista's all-time total is 33x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Trista | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,459 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,215 | 48 | 19,840 |
Trista's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Trista's full recorded timeline at 1992, 40% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 60% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1960, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1984 peak of 1,215 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Trista at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1984
Current rank
#12,381
Active since
1960
Trista popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1960–2024
- Peak year (1984)
- 1,215
- Annual births at peak, across 65 years of records
Trista popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1986 (Trista as boys' name)
Trista by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Trista's strongest decade.
4,967 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Trista births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 181
1960s
181 births
- 1970s 1,859
1970s
1,859 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,967 births
- 1990s 1,929
1990s
1,929 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,947 births
- 2010s 548
2010s
548 births
- 2020s 28
2020s
28 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 4,967 births (40% of all-time use).
How Trista 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 Trista's total volume
Trista vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Trista by state
Where Trista concentrates geographically, total births since 1960
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 865 | 6.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 738 | 5.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 597 | 4.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 540 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Minnesota | | 476 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Wisconsin | | 432 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 427 | 3.4% |
| #8 | New York | | 421 | 3.4% |
California share of Trista's total US births 6.9%
Even split
865 of 12,459 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Trista appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Trista? ▼
12,459 babies have been named Trista since 1960. It currently ranks #12381 among girls. The peak year was 1984 with 1,215 births.
When was Trista most popular? ▼
Trista was most popular in the 1980s decade with 4,967 total births. The single peak year was 1984.
Where is Trista most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Trista are California (865 births), Texas (738 births), Pennsylvania (597 births).
How long has the name Trista been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Trista since 1960 -- 65 years through the most recent 2024 data.
What names are similar to Trista? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Trinity, Trisha, Tricia, Trina, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Trista's data
- Trista's decade-level peak was the 1980s (4,967 total births); usage has since declined to 28 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Tristas (865 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 Trista
Nearby Names Like Trista
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Trista
Trinity Girl
#400 85,348 births
Trisha Girl
#2826 40,302 births
Tricia Girl
40,134 births
Trina Girl
#7274 32,568 births
Tristan Girl
#8538 6,551 births
Compare Trista side by side: Trista vs Trinity Trista vs Trisha Trista vs Tricia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Trista
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, 1960–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Trista: #12381 Girls' Name - 12,459 Births, Peak 1984." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/trista. 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 Trista 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.