Unisex name ★ peaked 1996

Tristen

Meaning Rare non-standard spelling of Tristan Gender Unisex · 16% girls Rank 2025 #1,512 Trend ↓ Falling 52%

Rare non-standard spelling of Tristan.

Rank 2025
#1,512
among boys · ↓75 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
121
named Tristen · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,725
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1996
1,478 babies
All-time total
25,554
#807 all-time among boys
First recorded
1968
in Social Security records

Tristen popularity over time

25,554 babies have been named Tristen since 1968, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 20 – 20 2 – –
1970s 137 29 166 17 +730% #4,382
1980s 505 453 958 96 +477% #1,056
1990s 1,444 5,023 6,467 647 +575% #249
2000s 1,663 9,204 10,867 1,087 +68% #303
2010s 377 5,646 6,023 602 -45% #333
2020s (to 2025) 36 1,017 1,053 176 -71% #849

Where Tristen 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 102 0.06 outside top 500
2027 92 0.05 outside top 500
2028 84 0.05 outside top 500
2029 78 0.05 outside top 500
2030 73 0.04 outside top 500

Where Tristen is most popular

Boys named Tristen per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.087 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, Georgia, and Ohio.

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 Tristen 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 21 0.370 +327%
Georgia 55 0.217 +151%
Ohio 42 0.158 +83%
Louisiana 15 0.147 +69%
South Carolina 13 0.126 +45%
North Carolina 30 0.117 +36%
Florida 51 0.108 +24%
Michigan 20 0.098 +13%
Texas 81 0.092 +6%
Tennessee 14 0.078 -10%
Alabama 8 0.073 -15%
Virginia 12 0.063 -27%
Arizona 10 0.061 -29%
Maryland 7 0.059 -32%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -35%
New York 21 0.049 -44%
Pennsylvania 12 0.045 -48%
California 39 0.043 -51%
Illinois 10 0.039 -55%
Indiana 6 0.037 -57%
Missouri 5 0.036 -58%
Washington 5 0.031 -65%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
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 Tristen

Tristen is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,512 in 2025 with 116 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1968, 25,554 American babies have been named Tristen, about 84% boys and 16% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1996, when 1,478 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 Tristen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tristen?

The median living Tristen is about 21 years old; half are between 15 and 27. An estimated 25 thousand people named Tristen are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

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

Tristen 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 5 #17,071 116 #1,512
2024 6 #15,102 127 #1,437
2023 – – 154 #1,257
2022 7 #13,469 148 #1,295
2021 7 #13,363 203 #1,059
2020 11 #9,499 269 #849
2019 11 #9,686 265 #848
2018 10 #10,502 331 #725
2017 29 #4,798 376 #676
2016 25 #5,437 420 #635
2015 17 #7,247 433 #620
2014 45 #3,542 551 #508
2013 51 #3,215 629 #452
2012 57 #3,003 849 #360
2011 64 #2,760 851 #353
2010 68 #2,669 941 #333
2009 79 #2,444 1,065 #303
2008 107 #1,976 975 #337
2007 131 #1,688 942 #342
2006 152 #1,467 937 #336
2005 161 #1,353 869 #342
2004 216 #1,074 912 #331
2003 243 #964 851 #337
2002 192 #1,103 902 #316
2001 210 #1,031 887 #315
2000 172 #1,170 864 #328
1995 208 #910 618 #383
1990 62 #2,126 56 #1,528
1985 65 #1,757 77 #1,056
1980 17 #4,504 – –
1975 12 #5,147 6 #5,423
1970 10 #5,394 – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Tristen?

The median living Tristen is about 21 years old. Half of all living Tristens are between 15 and 27 years old.

How many people named Tristen are alive today?

An estimated 25 thousand people named Tristen are alive in the United States, based on 25,554 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tristen mean?

Rare non-standard spelling of Tristan.

How popular is the name Tristen in 2025?

Tristen ranked #1,512 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 116 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tristen?

25,554 babies have been named Tristen in the United States since 1968, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tristen most popular?

Tristen peaked in 1996, when 1,478 newborns received the name.

Is Tristen a boy or girl name?

Tristen is used for both: about 16% of babies named Tristen have been girls and 84% boys.

Is the name Tristen rising or falling?

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

Will Tristen become more popular?

Tristen is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 73 boys named Tristen in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Tristen

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

Compare Tristen with similar names → More names starting with T →