Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1991

Kirsten

Meaning From North Germanic (Danish Kirsten and Norwegian Kirsten) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,841 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

From North Germanic (Danish Kirsten and Norwegian Kirsten).

Rank 2025
#2,841
among girls · ↑304 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
60
named Kirsten · +18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 26,788
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1991
1,938 babies
All-time total
53,393
#566 all-time among girls
First recorded
1937
in Social Security records

Kirsten popularity over time

53,393 babies have been named Kirsten since 1937, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s 40 – 40 4 – #2,078
1940s 297 – 297 30 +643% #1,487
1950s 813 – 813 81 +174% #717
1960s 6,662 24 6,686 669 +722% #248
1970s 8,263 73 8,336 834 +25% #284
1980s 8,741 66 8,807 881 +6% #183
1990s 16,882 37 16,919 1,692 +92% #154
2000s 9,337 12 9,349 935 -45% #255
2010s 1,809 – 1,809 181 -81% #842
2020s (to 2025) 337 – 337 56 -69% #2,484

Where Kirsten is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 57 0.04 outside top 500
2027 55 0.03 outside top 500
2028 53 0.03 outside top 500
2029 51 0.03 outside top 500
2030 50 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Kirsten

Kirsten is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,841 in 2025 with 60 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1937, 53,393 American babies have been named Kirsten. Its peak came in 1991, when 1,938 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kirsten stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kirsten?

The median living Kirsten is about 34 years old; half are between 26 and 48. An estimated 52 thousand people named Kirsten are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kirsten year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 60 #2,841 – –
2024 51 #3,145 – –
2023 36 #4,088 – –
2022 63 #2,738 – –
2021 57 #2,943 – –
2020 70 #2,484 – –
2019 60 #2,803 – –
2018 89 #2,140 – –
2017 107 #1,897 – –
2016 150 #1,513 – –
2015 123 #1,715 – –
2014 184 #1,297 – –
2013 212 #1,137 – –
2012 256 #987 – –
2011 309 #854 – –
2010 319 #842 – –
2009 454 #652 – –
2008 543 #568 – –
2007 726 #444 – –
2006 783 #407 – –
2005 1,003 #322 – –
2004 1,089 #298 12 #6,357
2003 1,116 #280 – –
2002 1,126 #278 – –
2001 1,224 #260 – –
2000 1,273 #255 – –
1995 1,681 #180 – –
1990 1,869 #157 10 #5,208
1985 751 #319 8 #4,947
1980 705 #343 12 #3,523
1975 762 #303 – –
1970 1,034 #284 12 #2,804
1965 641 #358 – –
1960 258 #629 – –
1955 79 #1,123 – –
1950 28 #1,815 – –
1945 24 #1,721 – –
1940 24 #1,614 – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kirsten

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Dunst American actress and singer (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten Gillibrand American lawyer and politician (born 1966) Contemporary
  3. 3 Kirsten Vangsness Kirsten Vangsness American actress and screenwriter (born 1972) Contemporary
  4. 4 Kirsten Price Kirsten Price American pornographic film actress (born 1981/1982) Contemporary
  5. 5 Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Flagstad Norwegian operatic singer 1895–1962 · 19th century
  6. 6 Kirsten Flipkens Kirsten Flipkens Belgian tennis player b. 1986 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Kirsten Zien Kirsten Zien Canadian actress (born 1990) Contemporary
  8. 8 Kirsten Wild Kirsten Wild Dutch racing cyclist (born 1982) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kirsten, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kirsten?

The median living Kirsten is about 34 years old. Half of all living Kirstens are between 26 and 48 years old.

How many people named Kirsten are alive today?

An estimated 52 thousand people named Kirsten are alive in the United States, based on 53,393 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kirsten mean?

From North Germanic (Danish Kirsten and Norwegian Kirsten).

How popular is the name Kirsten in 2025?

Kirsten ranked #2,841 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 60 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kirsten?

53,393 babies have been named Kirsten in the United States since 1937, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kirsten most popular?

Kirsten peaked in 1991, when 1,938 newborns received the name.

Is Kirsten a boy or girl name?

Kirsten is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kirsten rising or falling?

Kirsten is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kirsten become more popular?

Kirsten is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 50 girls named Kirsten in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kirsten?

Well-known people named Kirsten include Kirsten Dunst (actor), Kirsten Gillibrand (politician), Kirsten Vangsness (actor).

Names like Kirsten

Names that sound and feel close to Kirsten: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kirsten with similar names → More names starting with K →