Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Kristen

Kristen is the Norwegian and Danish form of Christian and the English form of Christina, both of which are obviously derived from the same place. The Medieval Latin Christianus meaning “a Christian” basically gave birth to all of these Chris/Kris names, male and female. Ultimately, the Latin word for a Christian is derived from the Greek Christos from “chrio” meaning “to anoint”. Christós (Christ) was a title given to Jesus of Nazareth by Greek Christians in the first century to signify him as the anointed one by the power of God. The Greek Christós is also a translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” meaning essentially the same thing (anointed). Names like Christian, Christiana, Christina and Christine have been in use since the Middle Ages but did not become widely common until the 17th century. Names like Kristen, Kiersten and Kirsten are more modern 20th century variations. The “K” forms of this name vs. “Ch” add a certain Germanic or Scandinavian flavor to these old Christian names.

All About the Baby Name – Kristen

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME KRISTEN

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME KRISTEN

Kristen made her debut in America in 1946. For about two decades, the name showed gradual but impressive growth on the charts. Kristen then hit the Top 100 list in 1969 and quickly became one of the darlings of the 1970s and 80s. Her peak popularity came in 1982 when Kristen was the 33rd most popular girl’s name in America. The name fell off the Top 100 in 1998 after a 30 year run (not too shabby). As we’ve crossed the threshold into the 21st century, it’s quite clear poor little Kristen is rapidly going out of style. The name has greatly declined in usage and is now barely considered with any regularity. Still, there are lots of Christian inspired names to choose from (the Latinate Christina being the current most popular). Looks like the cutesy 1970s and 80s versions of Kristen, Kiersten and Kirsten have seen their glory days come and go. We expect they’ll be “anointed” back into popularity one day in the future as the historic naming pendulum tends to swing. It just may take another generation to rediscover these old cutie-pies.

Quick Facts

ON KRISTEN

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

713

PRONUNCIATION:

KRIS-tin

SIMPLE MEANING:

Christian, to anoint, Recognition of the Messiah

Characteristics

OF KRISTEN

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Kristen

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME KRISTEN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Kristen

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME KRISTEN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Kristen


Popular Songs

ON KRISTEN

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Kristen


Famous People

NAMED KRISTEN

Kristen Bell (actress)
Kristen Johnston (actress)
Kristen Stewart (actress)
Kristen Wiig (actress/comedian)

Children of Famous People

NAMED KRISTEN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Kristen

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME KRISTEN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Kristen