Unisex name ★ peaked 1996

Kristian

Gender Unisex · 25% girls Rank 2025 #1,149 Trend ↓ Falling 32%
Rank 2025
#1,149
among boys · ↓24 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
192
named Kristian · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,283
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1996
886 babies
All-time total
27,634
#822 all-time among boys
First recorded
1942
in Social Security records

Kristian popularity over time

27,634 babies have been named Kristian since 1942, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – – – – – –
1940s – 24 24 2 – #3,174
1950s 5 141 146 15 +508% #1,178
1960s 185 555 740 74 +407% #663
1970s 508 2,363 2,871 287 +288% #468
1980s 2,005 1,717 3,722 372 +30% #649
1990s 2,656 5,194 7,850 785 +111% #385
2000s 950 5,596 6,546 655 -17% #419
2010s 407 3,867 4,274 427 -35% #542
2020s (to 2025) 104 1,357 1,461 244 -43% #825

Where Kristian is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 173 0.10 outside top 500
2027 164 0.10 outside top 500
2028 156 0.09 outside top 500
2029 150 0.09 outside top 500
2030 145 0.09 outside top 500

Where Kristian is most popular

Boys named Kristian per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.125 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kristian born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Mississippi 17 0.299 +140%
South Carolina 28 0.271 +117%
Alabama 25 0.229 +83%
Florida 98 0.207 +66%
Georgia 50 0.197 +58%
New York 80 0.185 +48%
Illinois 42 0.164 +32%
Texas 142 0.161 +29%
Michigan 32 0.156 +25%
Pennsylvania 40 0.151 +21%
Tennessee 25 0.138 +11%
Kentucky 13 0.130 ≈ national
New Jersey 25 0.124 ≈ national
North Carolina 30 0.117 -6%
Virginia 22 0.116 -7%
Ohio 30 0.113 -9%
Louisiana 11 0.108 -14%
California 98 0.107 -14%
Washington 17 0.104 -17%
Arizona 16 0.098 -22%
Maryland 11 0.092 -26%
Massachusetts 6 0.044 -65%
Indiana 5 0.031 -75%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kristian

Kristian is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,149 in 2025 with 184 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1942, 27,634 American babies have been named Kristian, about 75% boys and 25% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1996, when 886 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 Kristian stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kristian?

The median living Kristian is about 27 years old; half are between 17 and 36. An estimated 27 thousand people named Kristian are alive in the United States today.

median 27 020406080100

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

Kristian 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 8 #11,464 184 #1,149
2024 18 #6,539 190 #1,125
2023 17 #6,811 214 #1,022
2022 15 #7,482 238 #955
2021 16 #7,122 252 #912
2020 30 #4,497 279 #825
2019 20 #6,091 289 #795
2018 25 #5,247 326 #732
2017 38 #3,958 346 #709
2016 45 #3,497 359 #690
2015 26 #5,223 375 #677
2014 37 #4,064 400 #655
2013 53 #3,106 400 #621
2012 56 #3,032 442 #581
2011 46 #3,480 462 #551
2010 61 #2,858 468 #542
2009 86 #2,279 531 #508
2008 67 #2,737 546 #502
2007 75 #2,498 565 #475
2006 80 #2,365 578 #466
2005 77 #2,328 580 #446
2004 87 #2,095 512 #484
2003 91 #1,997 573 #438
2002 114 #1,630 533 #458
2001 116 #1,598 587 #421
2000 157 #1,248 591 #419
1995 254 #785 583 #397
1990 357 #626 315 #570
1985 276 #659 182 #649
1980 103 #1,262 148 #716
1975 51 #1,823 274 #486
1970 44 #1,940 168 #625
1965 14 #3,477 41 #1,197
1960 – – 37 #1,309
1955 – – 6 #3,709
1950 – – 8 #2,907
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kristian

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

  1. 1 Kristian Nairn Kristian Nairn Northern Irish actor (born 1975) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kristian Kostov Kristian Kostov Bulgarian-Russian singer (born 2000) Contemporary
  3. 3 Kristian Birkeland Kristian Birkeland Norwegian scientist (1867–1917) 19th century
  4. 4 Kristian Thulesen Dahl Kristian Thulesen Dahl Danish director and former politician (born 1969) Contemporary
  5. 5 Kristian Jensen Kristian Jensen Danish politician b. 1971 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Kristian Bjørnsen Kristian Bjørnsen Norwegian handball player (born 1989) Contemporary
  7. 7 Kristian Prestrud Kristian Prestrud Norwegian naval officer and polar explorer 1881–1927 · 19th century
  8. 8 Kristian Sbaragli Kristian Sbaragli Italian cyclist (born 1990) Contemporary
  9. 9 Kristian Golomeev Greek swimmer (born 1993) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kristian?

The median living Kristian is about 27 years old. Half of all living Kristians are between 17 and 36 years old.

How many people named Kristian are alive today?

An estimated 27 thousand people named Kristian are alive in the United States, based on 27,634 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Kristian in 2025?

Kristian ranked #1,149 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 184 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kristian?

27,634 babies have been named Kristian in the United States since 1942, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kristian most popular?

Kristian peaked in 1996, when 886 newborns received the name.

Is Kristian a boy or girl name?

Kristian is used for both: about 25% of babies named Kristian have been girls and 75% boys.

Is the name Kristian rising or falling?

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

Will Kristian become more popular?

Kristian is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 145 boys named Kristian 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 Kristian?

Well-known people named Kristian include Kristian Nairn (actor), Kristian Kostov (singer), Kristian Birkeland (chemist).

Names like Kristian

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

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