Cristel
A feminine name of French origin meaning "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 967 living Americans carry the first name Cristel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cristel today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cristel births was 2011 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cristel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
967
~ 1 in 354,451 Americans
Peak year
2011
95 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,226
Tracked since 1930
Census
Cristel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,106 people with the first name Cristel, which placed it at #11,542 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,542
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,106 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
74.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cristel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cristel is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cristel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cristel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.3% · 822
- White16.8% · 186
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 42
- Black or African American3.7% · 41
- Two or more races1.2% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Popularity
Cristel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cristel from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 351 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Cristel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cristel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cristel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cristels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Cristel, while New York, Maryland, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cristel
The given name Cristel originates from the Latin language and has its roots in the name Christiana, which was derived from the Greek word "Christos" meaning "anointed one" or "the anointed." This name was initially associated with Christianity and was often given to individuals who embraced or exemplified Christian values and beliefs.
In the early centuries of the Christian era, the name Christiana was commonly used in various regions of the Roman Empire where Christianity had spread. As the religion gained prominence and adherents across Europe, the name evolved into various forms, including Cristel, which became particularly prevalent in certain Germanic and Scandinavian regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cristel can be found in the Frankish kingdom during the 8th century, where it was borne by a noblewoman named Cristel of Austrasia. This historical figure was known for her piety and charitable works, which contributed to the name's association with virtuous and compassionate qualities.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Cristel maintained its popularity among various European noble families and religious communities. Notable individuals who bore this name include Cristel of Trier, a 12th-century German abbess renowned for her dedication to religious life and her leadership of the Trier Abbey.
In the Renaissance period, the name Cristel gained prominence in the arts and literature. One notable figure was Cristel Becker (1560-1630), a German painter and printmaker who achieved recognition for her intricate engravings and etchings depicting religious and mythological scenes.
During the 17th century, Cristel von Griesheim (1628-1682), a German botanist and naturalist, made significant contributions to the study of plants and their medicinal properties. Her extensive research and writings on herbal remedies were highly influential in her time.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Cristel Göring (1841-1902), a German writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and educational opportunities. Her literary works explored themes of gender equality and societal reform, leaving a lasting impact on the feminist movement in Germany.
Throughout its long history, the name Cristel has carried connotations of faith, virtue, and a connection to the natural world. While its usage has evolved over time, it remains a enduring name that reflects a rich cultural heritage and a diverse range of influential individuals who have borne it.
People
Cristel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cristel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cristel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cristel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 967 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cristel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 354,451 US residents.
Is Cristel a common name?
We classify Cristel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,000 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cristel most popular?
The single biggest year for Cristel was 2011, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cristel is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cristel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,106 people with the name Cristel, or 0.37 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,542 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cristel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cristel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cristel leans strongly female. 1,084 people counted with this name were female (97.6%), compared with 27 male bearers (2.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cristel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cristel is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cristel most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Cristel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (822 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cristel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cristel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cristel in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cristel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cristel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cristel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Cristel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.