Kristena
A feminine name derived from the Greek name Christina meaning "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 696 living Americans carry the first name Kristena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kristena today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kristena births was 1988 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kristena. 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
696
~ 1 in 492,463 Americans
Peak year
1988
32 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2007 SSA rank
#19,176
Tracked since 1948
Census
Kristena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 700 people with the first name Kristena, which placed it at #16,202 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
#16,202
National first-name rank
People counted
700
700 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
77.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kristena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kristena is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Kristena 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 Kristena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 541
- Black or African American9.3% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 53
- Two or more races3.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
Popularity
Kristena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kristena from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 237 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kristena 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 Kristena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kristenas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kristena
The name Kristena finds its origins in the Latin name Christina, which was derived from the Greek word "Christos," meaning "anointed" or "consecrated to Christ." This name gained popularity during the early days of Christianity as a way to honor the religious significance of the faith.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kristena can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire in the 5th century AD. During this time, it was a common name given to women who were devoted to the Christian faith, often associated with saints or religious figures.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Kristena was Kristena of Markyate, an English nun who lived in the 12th century. She was known for her unwavering devotion to her religious vows and her refusal to marry, despite pressure from her family.
In the 13th century, the name Kristena appeared in the Norse sagas, where it was spelled "Kristín." One notable example was Kristín Loftsdóttir, an Icelandic noblewoman who was renowned for her wisdom and intelligence.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kristena gained popularity across Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. One famous bearer of the name was Kristena of Sweden, a 16th-century queen who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Scandinavia.
Another notable historical figure with the name Kristena was Kristena Pauker, a Romanian communist politician who served as the first female Foreign Minister of Romania in the mid-20th century.
Throughout history, the name Kristena has been associated with strong, independent women who have left their mark on various fields, including religion, politics, and literature. Some other notable figures bearing this name include Kristena Nilsson, a Swedish opera singer from the 19th century, and Kristena Rosetti, an Italian painter active during the Renaissance period.
While the name Kristena has its roots in ancient Greek and Latin, it has evolved over time and has been adapted to various cultures and languages. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its connection to religious and historical significance, as well as the inspiring women who have borne this name throughout the ages.
People
Kristena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kristena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kristena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kristena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 696 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kristena 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 492,463 US residents.
Is Kristena a common name?
We classify Kristena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 752 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kristena most popular?
The single biggest year for Kristena was 1988, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kristena is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kristena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 700 people with the name Kristena, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,202 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 Kristena 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 Kristena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kristena appears almost entirely female. Of the 705 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Kristena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kristena is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Kristena most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kristena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (541 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 Kristena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kristena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kristena 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 Kristena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kristena 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 Kristena 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 Americans are named Kristena?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Kristena at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.