2000
#80,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Kristen
Kristen is a surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 221 Americans carry the last name Kristen. That puts it at #100,083 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,550,925 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kristen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
221
1 in 1,550,925
Census rank
#100,083
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
193
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 193 bearers of the surname Kristen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100083rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kristen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kristen
The surname Kristen originated in the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic personal name Christianus, meaning "a Christian."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kristen can be found in the Annales Rodenses, a medieval chronicle from the Abbey of Rode in present-day Belgium, which mentions a Christianus de Hascha in 1162.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as Cristien, Cristiaen, and Cristen in records from the Low Countries and neighboring regions like the Rhineland.
The surname Kristen is also found in the 14th century Bruges Poortersboeken (registers of citizens) from the city of Bruges in modern-day Belgium. A notable example is Heinric Cristen, who was listed as a citizen in 1358.
During the Renaissance period, the surname Kristen spread to other parts of Europe due to migration and trade. In the 16th century, a Dutch merchant named Jan Kristen was documented as residing in London, England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Kristen was Philipp Kristen, a German Protestant theologian and reformer who lived from 1505 to 1569. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement and worked closely with Martin Luther.
Another notable figure with the surname Kristen was Erasmus Kristen, a Dutch Golden Age painter who lived from around 1610 to 1680. He was known for his still life and genre paintings, which depicted everyday scenes and objects.
In the 18th century, the surname Kristen can be found in various records from the German states, such as the birth of Johann Christoph Kristen in Saxony in 1732.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Kristen was Theodor Kristen, a German-Austrian composer and conductor who lived from 1853 to 1923. He was a prominent figure in the Romantic era of classical music and composed several operas and orchestral works.
The surname Kristen has also been associated with notable individuals in more recent history, such as the American actress Kristen Stewart, born in 1990, who rose to fame for her role in the Twilight film series.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kristen
Among Census respondents with the surname Kristen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kristen bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kristen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 13
- Two or more races4.7% · 9
- Black or African American3.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kristen
Kristen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#86,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
-3 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,812 places
2020
#100,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
-23 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 13,769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,502 | 219 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,314 | 216 | 0.07 | -3 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 5,812 places |
| 2020 | #100,083 | 193 | 0.06 | -23 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 13,769 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kristen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #86,314 | #100,083 | -16.0% |
| Count | 216 | 193 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kristen bearers went from 216 to 193 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 13,769 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,314 to #100,083.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kristen
FAQ
Kristen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kristen?
Name Census estimates that about 221 living Americans carry the surname Kristen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,550,925 residents.
How common is Kristen?
Kristen ranks #100,083 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 193 people with the surname Kristen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kristen.
Has Kristen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kristen went from 216 recorded bearers to 193. That is a decrease of 23 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,314 to #100,083.
What does the Census say about the background of Kristen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kristen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kristen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kristen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kristen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kristen mean?
Kristen is a surname derived from the given name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kristen (0.06 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Kristen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.